


HypnoTech

by RoamingRoveon



Category: Splatoon
Genre: Adult Situations, Alternate Universe, Angst, Brainwashing, Emotional Manipulation, F/F, Hypnoshades, Mind Games, Original Characters - Freeform, Psychological Horror, Torture, Traumatic Bonding, alternate title could be 'jinx valente and the terrible horrible no good very bad day', hypno!agent 3, mild depictions of violence, there's some screaming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:35:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 65,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27034297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoamingRoveon/pseuds/RoamingRoveon
Summary: We all know what happened to Callie Cuttlefish between Splatoon 1 and Splatoon 2.What if it wasn't Callie?What if Octavio decided to go for a much more weaponized approach to taking down the inkling race?Well, he would need an inkling trained in combat. An inkling who could give the NSS a run for their money.He would need Agent 3.
Relationships: Agent 3/Marie (Splatoon), Agent 3/Octoling(s) (Splatoon)
Comments: 161
Kudos: 120





	1. Prologue

_Prologue_

When they defeated DJ Octavio, that should have been the end of it. 

_It feels like static shock at first, just a little pinprick at the corners of her eyes. A soft voice murmuring in the back of her mind unbidden, gentle suggestions; 'please lift your head.' 'Do not slouch.' 'Place your right hand on your right leg.' Her fingers twitch to obey but she doesn't, she'd rather not, and there isn't any real pressure. She does roll her shoulders back, straighten up a little, acutely aware of mild pressure on her face. Resting against the bridge of her nose and over her ears._

The dastardly Octarian leader, taken down and locked away safely in a snow globe in Octo Valley. They had celebrated, reveled in the victory and prepared to return to their relatively peaceful life. The New Squidbeak Splatoon could finally take a break.

_The tingling aftershocks sting like probing needles behind her eyes and with it, a new suggestion. A bit more firm this time. 'You are Subject Zero.' She's preparing an argument for this when an outside voice echoes through the room she's being kept in:_

_"State your name, please."_

_In her head comes a whispered command: 'Answer.' She twists her wrists against bindings that keep her arms locked behind her, the metal chair wedged between those and her shoulderblades. "Jinx," she responds. Then, more confidently, “Agent 3.”_

_"I see. And where are you from?"_

_It seems such a trivial set of questions, but she answers again with facts she's known all her life. "Inkopolis--"_

_"And who do you work for?"_

_That's top secret information, but the nudging at the back of her brain pushes the answer out of her. "The New Squidbeak Splatoon."_

_There's barely a beat before the teasing prickles are suddenly harsh. Red flashes across her vision where there was only darkness a moment ago, the shock coursing through her head like a fist reaching inside of her and sucker punching her brain directly. She clenches her teeth against the pain, against crying out, as that same echoed voice speaks far too cheerfully:_

_"Lovely answers, Agent 3. But alas... wrong."_

Months had passed. She'd forgotten all about DJ Octavio, sitting alone in his watery glass prison, so far away from the safety of Inkopolis. No threat, no big deal - there was no reason to check in when Cap'n Cuttlefish spent most of his time there, anyway. The Squid Sisters had their own business to get on with and she enjoyed every spare moment she had with them. With her family. 

Her first victory. Her first love. Her first kiss. All of it came rolling through like a dream, like something she never imagined when she was a younger inkling eagerly awaiting her chance to live in the city. 

_She's lost track of how much time passes between each shock now. Each pulse is more powerful than the last, especially when she repeatedly gives wrong answers. But they aren't wrong, they're the truth - just not what her interrogators want. How long has she been sitting there, squirming ever more frantically to free herself? Hours? Days?_

_Her wrists sting with the friction of the rope keeping them secure. She can feel her body trembling, muscles shaking with the strain it takes to resist commands shot directly into her frontal lobe, and her teeth ache from grinding against each other - each lie being fed to her runs deeper, like her mind is being probed for facts and memories which are subsequently ripped to shreds._

_There's a fog growing, thickening, as she tries in vain to focus on mental images. Of inklings she knows, people she's close to. Her brother - she has an older brother and five younger siblings, she can see them crowding around her childhood living room on Squidmas. The eldest is smiling at her even as the image blurs and begins to fade._

_'You have no family.'_

_Callie. Sweet, outgoing Callie who pinches the tips of her fingers when she's being particularly unpleasant. Who lays on top of her like an anxiety blanket to watch movies on rainy days. She fights back the fog until another jolt of electricity shoots through her head, the energy running like razors down the length of her arms and legs. To fingertips, to toes. When she can focus again, the memory is gone._

_'You have no friends.'_

_Silver tentacles, dipped with green. Beautiful, thoughtful amber eyes paired with pale skin and a crooked smile. A voice so warm, so familiar, whispering her name through the darkness - something warm and wet slides down her cheeks and she's hit with another teeth-rattling shock. She can't even find the name anymore._

_Name...what was her name...?_

_'You are Subject Zero. You belong to DJ Octavio.'_

None of them ever imagined how quickly things would turn. How for all of the good they'd culminated, a turn for the worse would be tenfold what they put out. One moment, everything was perfect, and the next? 

Agent 3 had disappeared. 

A lanky sea urchin found her phone while skulking around the back alleys of the city, saw the lock screen image, and brought it back to a pair of highly concerned Squid Sisters. 

"'Aven't seen 'er," Spyke offered at the hopeful looks they gave him. "But I'll keep my eye peeled."

They searched everywhere they could think of. They called her family, put the word out to anyone they could reach without giving away the NSS - Callie begged their producer to let them broadcast it on the news, but there were bigger fish to fry. Matters were only made worse when the Great Zapfish had come up missing, too. It couldn't be a coincidence. 

When the cousins' suspicions were roused enough for them to take the storm drain to Octo Valley, the most likely scenario was worse than they thought. A snowglobe shattered, an Octarian vanished. Callie started for a kettle, but Marie urged her to see reason - they had to have a plan, they couldn't rush in blindly. 

They would find her. They had to. She was too important to lose. 

_"What is your name?"_

_It's barely a buzz, barely a tickle at the back of her head. Her entire body feels like radio static, pins and needles scattered over every inch of skin, almost an itch that she can't reach to scratch. She doesn't know where she is, she doesn't know how she got there - it’s been days, but she doesn’t know how many. Trying to think of answers to those questions makes her temples throb and she can't dig very deep without the headache getting worse._

_The answers her interrogator is looking for, however, have been branded on the backs of her eyes and she could answer those in her sleep._

_Throat and mouth dry as sand, she parts her beak and croaks, "S...Subject...Zero..."_

_Satisfaction radiates through the room from a source she can't see. They continue._

_"Where are you from?"_

_It's a warning, that little buzz. Like a jellyfish trailing its tendrils over grey matter, ready to sting at any given moment. The fear response when she thinks she can answer that chases away anything she may have said, and she doesn't go after it._

_She's so tired._

_"I...I don't know."_

_Papers rustle._

_"Who do you belong to?"_

_Her throat feels thick when she tries to swallow._

_"DJ Octavio."_

_She wants to get up, but she doesn't know if her legs will support her anymore. Pressure relaxes as her wrists are freed but she makes no attempt to move._

_"On your feet, Subject Zero."_

_She wants to, she needs to. Tells her body to rise, but there's no compliance. No strength left in her._

_"Lieutenant, it doesn't seem to be responding."_

_"Oh, that's alright. We have corrections for that."_

_A soft click. Another sucker punch to her frontal lobe, and pain - she cries out weakly as her aching limbs are forced to move, to support her weight when they rightfully shouldn't be able to. It's wrong, it's horrible, it's a bad dream and she wants to wake up._

_"Take two steps forward."_

_She does as she's told._

_"Lift your right arm."_

_...again..._

_"Drop it."_

_...and again..._

_"Tell me your name. One more time."_

_...and again._

_"...Subject Zero."_

_Outside of her mind, her body, her consciousness, an octoling Lieutenant stands before the trembling form of an inkling far too familiar for her tastes. Agent 3 of the New Squidbeak Splatoon is at her mercy, a fact she's taken advantage of gleefully over the past few days. It's only too unfortunate that it didn't take longer to break the little inkling - after all the pain and terror that had been wrought upon their society just one year prior._

_The Lieutenant pockets a small remote control, smooths a tentacle behind her rounded ear, and pulls a communication device from another pocket. A clawed thumb presses into the button as she proudly announces that "Subject Zero is ready to be assigned."_


	2. Reprogram

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New, but not necessarily exciting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Wednesday everyone! 
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to check out the prologue on this fic! I can't even say how excited I am to start rolling out chapters - please do take the tags seriously though. Writing this has been so much fun but it does get pretty emotionally heavy.
> 
> Elite Octolings with names belong to Teapot (http://illuthra.tumblr.com) and Levi (https://stellamedia.tumblr.com), I am borrowing them with explicit permission and continued check-ins for character continuity.

_Reprogram_

Three weeks.

Three weeks pass, feet dragging, with no change in the situation. Marie tries to placate herself with the knowledge that Agent 3 can take care of herself - she's their star after all, the bane of all Octarians. Quick on her feet, resilient enough to run recon through the entire valley on her own in a single day. She even seemed to have eyes in the back of her head, her blind spot virtually nonexistent - a trait, she announced with pride early on, that she'd learned from having younger siblings.

Jinx is a force to be reckoned with, Marie tells herself when the gravity of the situation weighs too heavily on her shoulders. When she comes back to an empty apartment day after day, makes coffee in a silent kitchen, and tries not to glance into the empty spaces where her partner used to be. When she has to answer Callie's 'any news?' text messages with 'no, nothing yet.' 

Marie wonders if things would be different, had they not taken off that weekend. Sure, she and Callie had been busy with their careers and had barely seen each other, but Jinx was almost always at the apartment when one of them stopped in. As a general rule, someone always had an eye on her - it was too big to be a coincidence that she disappeared the moment the Squid Sisters went to visit their parents. All it would've taken to prevent this mess was a simple "come with us." 

She placates herself with the simple fact that she can't change the past. All she can do now is keep searching, and keep hoping for the best.

Agent 3 will be okay. She'll come home to them. She has to.

\---

She isn't allowed a rest and her body still aches, muscles stiff and shaky as she's transported to the secondary location. She doesn't see much en route from point A to point B and it has nothing to do with the shades over her eyes - what little information she's been allowed gave her the answer to the extra accessory, the lenses dimming what sunlight tries to filter through. 

There's little fanfare, as though they just want to move cargo and get it over with, but she's too exhausted to worry about it. Her mind has been buzzing since the moment she opened her eyes to the unfamiliar place, the faces of strangers ushering her up and out, tucking her into a shuttle of some kind - it isn't a long trip and she sits there staring at the floor, wandering empty pathways in her brain that all lead to nowhere.

No one speaks to her. The ride is a quiet one.

The two octoling soldiers who escorted her manage to pull her to her feet again when the shuttle halts, one on each arm hauling her up. She moves on her own for the most part, led through doors and hallways by the soldiers who talk about her like she isn't there. 

"Where am I?" She asks as they turn a corner, her voice cracked and dry. She wonders if they'll give her water when they reach...wherever it is they're going. 

An unceremonious nudge between her shoulder blades coaxes her to stand a little straighter, despite the ever-louder protests from her everything. "The colonel will answer your questions. You just keep walking." 

The soldier in front of her enters a number on a keypad and a door opens for them, the other octoling moving to stand at her side. Like she may actually try and make a break for it, like she has the strength or the motivation for that.

"Colonel, Subject Zero is ready for the project to begin!"

"You're late," comes the clipped response.

All three of them step into the room. 

There's a briefing, but the inkling doesn't remember much of it. She remembers listening to the soldiers and the Colonel discuss details that she's not allowed to be involved in, remembers letting her gaze roam around the office and taking note of where things are, remembers realizing that her hands aren't bound and lifting one toward her face like she's on auto-pilot. Like the room is too dark and the obvious solution is to remove the shades, surely it wouldn't be a bad thing--

A hand grabs her wrist before she can finish, holding far too tightly, and when she looks up it's into the fiercely disapproving eyes of the Colonel, who doesn't speak directly to her. 

"Why isn't it restrained?" She addresses the two octolings who brought Subject Zero to her, but she never breaks eye contact. 

There are apologies, a rush to lock her wrists behind her back and tie them there, and the rest of the meeting is nothing but static - static, and those eyes staring daggers into her for just long enough. 

Retaining information proves to be a task and a half. Already the inkling has forgotten the room she was in before this, and instead of trying to hold onto it she takes in the sight of the octoling woman standing straight-backed before her. 

The Colonel is taller than she is, though most of them seem to be, two of her tentacles framing the deceptively gentle curve of her face while the other two are smoothed back from her broad forehead; dark, tipped with burnt umber. Sharp eyes give her a once over, sizing her up, ready to find any reason to disapprove - at least, that's how it feels as she's circled like prey. 

Subject Zero swallows down her dry throat. She wonders if she can ask for a drink.

"State your name," the Colonel orders, her gaze fixed on the glasses, and the inkling doesn't know if she can see through them or not. 

Reflexively she tenses, waiting for even the tiniest of zaps in her head - a gentle nudge, a reminder for her to give an answer promptly. The words are rolling off of her tongue before it can though, pre-emptive, hoping to avoid it. 

"Subject Zero." She curls and flexes her fingers, the tips tingling where her wrists knock against each other. The name still doesn't sound right, but it's all she has.

Satisfied with that answer, the octoling folds her arms behind her. She holds herself with authority, shoulders rolled back and head held high, a high-ranking officer whom it would be unwise to cross. "I am Colonel Noemi Tokaal, Civilian Sector. From this point forward you are to address me as 'Colonel,' 'Chief,' or 'Ma'am.'" 

She wants to say she'll remember the name, but it's already slipping away into a muddled haze. Ridiculously, she wonders if her brain is melting, reverting to nothing but grey sludge; will that be her fate, too? Just a puddle of ink on the floor of this otherwise well-kept office? The Colonel seems the type who would absolutely hate cleaning up the mess, and as her stay here seems like it's going to last awhile, she would rather not upset the woman.

"Subject Zero, acknowledge."

Oh. "Yes," and then, quickly - "Ma'am." Her tongue feels too heavy, and she doesn't dare speak too many words at once. 

"Good." 

The Colonel steps forward then, reaching out and taking hold of the inkling's chin. Subject Zero shifts her shoulders weakly, a pitiful attempt to move away, easily ignored as Noemi tips her head left and right. Her brow furrows and she hums somewhat thoughtfully. 

"Ink is dull. You're dehydrated. I see the lab took good care of you," she shakes her head a bit, though nothing in her tone suggests that she cares for her 'guest's' well-being. "I'm passing you over to two of our soldiers, they'll be charged with showing you around the facility and making sure you keep to your schedule. Sit." 

She does as she's told, something she's got a feeling will be a narrative for the rest of her stay here.

The problem with sitting around in a quiet office when Subject Zero was already so tired is, the adrenaline keeping her going has a chance to taper off. She starts nodding off in the relative peace, catching herself with a jolt when she almost falls forward. If the colonel notices, she says nothing - the inkling assumes it goes under the radar, with what she's seen so far - and at last sleep digs its claws into her and pulls her into darkness. 

She's startled awake far too soon by a door slamming open, sending her off-balance without her hands to support her - she slips out of the chair she's been borrowing and hits the floor gracelessly. A low groan rises in the back of her throat, already familiar with the dull throb of a headache pulsing behind her eyes. 

"Sorry we're late, Chief!" The offender announces, like she might not be all that sorry. "Private Visana, reporting!" 

A pair of vermillion eyes brimming with curiosity land on her, set against the octoling's fair skin and dark purple tentacles. 

"Wow, she's tiny." 

Beside her, a shorter soldier steps up and delivers a sharp jab into Private Visana's side with her elbow - accompanied by a teasing smile. It earns her an 'oof' and a chuckle. "Tiny, huh?" She challenges, smoothing back a bubblegum-pink tentacle from her face. 

"Hey, it works for you." Visana quips back.

"Soldiers!" Noemi snaps them back to attention.

Subject Zero is still trying to calm the pounding of her hearts, squirming in an effort to sit up straight again as her gaze flits back and forth between both octolings. She wonders if it's rude that she's staring, but then again they likely can't tell behind the shades still nestled on her face. She definitely wants to know if she can move, the tile is really cold against the bare skin of her lower back.

"Visana, you and Private Asifor are to show the subject around." Noemi draws her disapproving gaze away from the spectacle Zero's made of herself, getting right to business. "Mess hall, infirmary, showers, and sleeping quarters. Subject is dehydrated and likely hasn't been fed in several days, so see to that as well." 

"Didn't they give her any clothes?" The smaller octoling's brow creases in what might be concern, taking in the state of black shorts and matching underarmor tank top. It isn't exactly modest.

The colonel's expression remains one of displeasure. Zero wonders if she even knows any other emotion. "Check in the supply closet, we may have a set of armor that will fit. I'll be sending out for more suitable clothing this afternoon - and if those hypnoshades get displaced, there will be severe repercussions." With that, she gives a sharp wave of her hand and turns back toward her desk. 

"You're all dismissed. Get  _ that _ ," a brief nod toward Zero, "out of my office." 

"Alright, Zero, up you go." The taller, visibly stronger octoling crouches down in front of Zero, hooking her arms beneath the inkling's and hoisting her up onto her feet in one swift motion that pulls a gurgle of surprise from her throat. She wobbles unsteadily for a second before they start back toward the door, Asifor closing it behind them. 

Subject Zero doesn't retain anything from the tour, much like the briefing prior. Everything just slogs on past her in a blur, information thrown out that she picks up but doesn't hold onto - she's so tired, the inside of her head feels like a slurry, and every now and then some part of her twitches like there's still electricity contracting her muscles. She'll definitely have to get a re-tour later, once she's had a chance to rest.

Sleep sounds so unbelievably good to her.

Somehow or another they finally make it to the barracks, a small room with two sets of bunk beds at either side, and one of the soldiers unbinds her wrists. The beds are nothing fancy, just wrought iron that holds together and squeaks in protest if it's jostled too much. Subject Zero sinks down onto the scratchy blanket, the bottom bunk, smoothing her palm over the material. Her gaze fixes to the pillow but her thoughts are somewhere else entirely, meaningless little things. Questions.

Why is she here? Where is 'here'? What are their plans for her? Are the shades a permanent part of her wardrobe? They seem more like a torture device than a fashion statement. Did she do something to warrant punishment...? 

"--ro? Hey, Zero!" 

When she looks up in a daze, the octoling with the darker purple tentacles is waving a hand in front of her face. The other holds a canteen. Zero blinks once, slowly, trying to remember what this person's name is. 

It slips away from her like smoke as she tries to catch it. Still, she takes the canteen that's offered to her and lifts it to dry lips to get a drink. They have to stop her before she gets too greedy, telling her not to make herself sick. 

Everything feels new and foreign, and it's too much for her to process. 

"I'd... like to sleep," she announces, the first thing she's said to her two companions since they started their little tour. "Is that okay?" 

The octolings exchange glances and the one with pink tentacles shrugs. "I don't see why not, she's probably exhausted," she says, more to her friend than to the inkling waiting in mild desperation for an answer. "Should we take the shades off...?" 

Turning back to Zero, who grips the edge of the mattress and chews on her lower lip, Purple - because that's what she's going to call the taller octoling until she can remember her name - reaches out and touches the accessory in question. She smooths her fingers along one side of the frames, like she's looking for something. 

"They'll probably fall off if we don't. We'll just get 'em back on before Noemi notices they're missing." 

With that, there's a gentle click somewhere beside Zero's ear and the shades are slipped away from her face. 

She doesn't have time to appreciate the freedom of it, the cool air against her face, against stinging sensations in her temples. Her shoulders slump and her eyes close, it all happens so fast, but the bed is more comfortable than it has any right being and she passes out the instant her head hits the pillow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how are we feeling? Make sure to take breaks and hydrate! I'll see you in a week!


	3. Recruit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Any port in a storm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't mind me as I mess with the update schedule - 
> 
> I'm going to start updating this fic on Sundays instead of Wednesdays, starting now, so you all don't have to wait as long between the last update and this one! Woo! There's at least 9 chapters of content written so I'm not too worried about running out~ 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this Squid Sister Filled chapter!

_ Recruit _

When the fourth week creeps up on a pair of stressed-out pop stars, it brings with it a new challenge that both of them should probably have expected. 

They've never had to consider the fact that Jinx has siblings. None of the Valente kids lived in Inkopolis - save for one, the eldest, a brother that Callie and Marie had never met before. Despite this, he knew his sister was close with them, and he knew exactly where to find them. 

When Ame Valente comes knocking on their studio glass one afternoon, they don't recognize him - he's just another inkling looking to say hello to his idols between news segments, and Marie looks up to wave with an exhausted smile that doesn't touch her eyes. Callie, on the other hand, catches on to the look on his face, azure gaze locked in with determination. 

"I think he wants to talk to us," Callie says needlessly, because his want for an audience is definitely clear. "We have time for that, don't we?"

Considering they're phasing in Off the Hook to start doing the bi-hourly broadcasts, Marie supposes it can't hurt, even if she doesn't have the extra energy to spend on fanboys right then. She sighs, a deep and wistful thing, gesturing him toward the alley where the studio's back door is. 

The Squid Sisters step out into the space just in time to meet their fellow inkling. He's tall, much taller than most of the squids they've known, just a touch over six feet. Freakishly tall. Callie's eyes widen as she tips her head to look up at him. Seafoam green tentacles crest the back of his head, poking up almost like cat ears - Marie wonders briefly if he cosplays - but his gaze is pointed and there's no smile on his face.

"You know my sister, don't you?" He starts in, wasting no time at all. "Jinx Valente?"

It's been so long since they've heard anyone else but them say that name, that for a moment Marie feels something like a spark of hope in her hearts. She takes a deep breath to keep her composure, pretends she's not rapt on every word that might come out of his mouth, because  _ why  _ they know Jinx is supposed to be a secret. The last thing she wants to do is vomit information at this inkling.

Callie beats her to the punch while she's digging for something to say without involving the NSS. "You must be Ame!" She chirps, holding the subject to casual conversation for now. Good, that's good, that's smart. "She's told us all about you! It's so cool to finally meet you - you're like,  _ really  _ tall, is Jinx just the short one in your family?"

Ame, as he's confirmed to be, doesn't look amused. His brow furrows and his lips press into a thin line. "I haven't heard from her in weeks. That's not like her. Was hoping you guys could point me in the right direction." Arms fold across his chest, his stance rigid and unmoving.

The cousins exchange glances, the nonverbal conversation shared between them as quickly as possible. What they can say, versus what they can't. They can't tell him the truth, can't explain how Jinx is a secret agent, the reason for DJ Octavio's defeat and the return - however temporary - of the Great Zapfish. At the same time, if he can help them find the MIA Agent 3...

Maybe they can make some kind of exception?

_ Please _ , Callie pleads silently, her brows knit together.  _ Please, if he can help, can't we just let him in on it?  _

Marie hesitates. 

"Look," Ame, not privy to whatever conversation they're having, tries again. His tone is strained, like he's trying to force back emotion. "Jinx is missing. She can't talk highly enough of you two, and you've been idols of mine for a long time too. There's gotta be something you can tell me. Anything." 

His voice cracks on that last word. Anything. He'll take whatever they give him, the tiniest sliver of information to quell his fears, to tell him they're unfounded. To placate him with lies.

Between the two of them, neither Squid Sister can do that. They break gazes with each other and Marie looks back at the taller inkling, gears turning in her clever mind on how best to attack this. 

"Ame, was it?" She pulls out her phone and slides the screen unlocked. "Let me get your number. We're a little busy now, but as soon as we're off I'll text you."

Ame doesn't look like he wants to walk away from the possibility of something much sooner, his movements slow and reluctant as he reaches for the phone offered to him. He inputs his contact info, brow furrowed in dissatisfaction, and passes it back to her. 

"Trust me," Marie insists, all too aware of Callie's eyes boring into her in her periphery. It's for both of them. "We can't talk now. But trust me." 

"..." Ame takes a big, deep breath, a thick swallow working his throat. "...If Jinx trusts you, so can I." He decides at last, words that make Marie's hearts ache more than he could ever imagine as he shoves his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. With a last lingering gaze at the Squid Sisters and the barest ghost of a smile, he nods a little and leaves the shadowed alley, back into the throng of the Plaza.

Marie exhales just as Callie rests a hand on her shoulder, all concern and low whispering - as though they haven't been speaking at normal volume this whole time, and now is the time to speak in private. 

"Are you going to tell him?!" She hisses, like that's an insane and terrible idea - mostly because it is. "Gramps will have an absolute heart attack, you know we can't do that--"

Marie rests a hand over her cousin's, locking gazes with her. She needs to remain the calm one, even if she's just as unsure of this path as Callie is. "Unless we can recruit him," she says like it's the easiest and most obvious answer. "Gramps is on some extended vacation to the Cape, remember? Ame could be an asset to us in finding Agent 3, I’m sure he trusts us to make the right judgement call." 

For a moment, she can see the idea processing in Callie's eyes. "...Do you think he can help?"

"He's Jinx's brother." Marie shrugs. "I'm hoping it's genetic." 

It may not be a solid plan, but it's an idea. Right then, it's all they have.

It's a nerve-wracking few hours until the end of the shift. Marie catches herself chewing at her lower lip on more than one occasion, struggling not to let her brows stay knitted together. The last thing she needs is to get wrinkles from the stress of all of this. When she and Callie leave the studio at last, they make a pit stop at their apartment for a change of clothes and she makes good on her promise. 

Pulling on the sleeves of her jacket, she grabs her phone from the coffee table and searches for the recently-added phone number. 

[Marie]: Hey Ame, it's Marie.

[Marie]: From the Squid Sisters.

She's so frazzled, she's sending redundant text messages. Perfect. 

[Ame V.]: hey good to hear from you!

[Ame V.]: sorry if i seemed kinda rude this afternoon. it's been rough you know?

Oh, Marie knows. She goes through the motions, tucking her tentacles back and slipping her cap on. 

[Marie]: I can imagine. 

[Marie]: I can't really disclose too much over text. Can you meet with us?

[Marie]: Sorry for the runaround. Must seem kinda shady.

Feet, in shoes. Mask in hand, ready to slip over her face. Callie comes out of her room shoving her bright pink beanie on, taking a deep breath and trying to exhale tension from her shoulders. 

"Are you sure Gramps won’t mind?" She asks. 

Marie gives her a 'look.' "Kind of busy with the brother. You could try to call him, but it’ll go right to voicemail." 

Callie groans like a petulant child, pulling out her phone anyway and disappearing to the kitchen. 

[Ame V.]: uh. yeah, that's fine i guess. 

[Ame V.]: can't really give you a hard time about it. squid sisters, popular, all that stuff.

[Marie]: Mhm. Sorry. Sending you directions.

She sends him instructions on how to reach Octo Valley before she can second guess the plan, followed by a time. 

[Marie]: We'll be there when you arrive. 

[Ame V.]: and you'll explain everything right? where my sister is?

[Marie]: We'll explain as much as we know. 

[Ame V.]: good enough for me. see you then.

\--

As a general rule, Ame isn't really the type to follow directions that involve diving down into strange storm drains. He's always known the drain was there, innocuously lingering just outside of Deca Tower, but as one usually does with storm drains in the middle of a city he paid it absolutely no mind. Standing in front of it now, on orders from someone he's always looked up to and with the potential to help him find out where his baby sister is, he wishes it were sketchy enough to dissuade him. 

It's not, and he squid dives mantle-first through the grates. 

When he comes up on the other side, the Squid Sisters are there waiting for him. Even through his determination, his focus on what he's after, it's still pretty unbelievable. 

Ame clears his throat and takes in his surroundings, the distant sounds of birdsong and the breeze through the leaves of the very few trees - he zeros in on the shattered glass not far from the run-down old cabin before finally turning to the pop duo waiting patiently for him to tune in. 

"Before we give you any information," Marie starts in when she has his attention. "I need to tell you, the second we start talking you are sworn to secrecy. Not a  _ soul  _ can ever know about this--"

Callie, who's been very subtly bouncing on her toes, begins talking over her almost immediately. "We think Jinx got kidnapped by the leader of the Octarians, but we won't actually know if we can't get underground and start looking for her!" 

Her cousin sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose, and Ame stands there and processes that single sentence. Leader of the Octarians? Octarians aren't real, he learned that a long time ago. Studied it. Maybe once upon a time they existed, walked the surface, but they've been extinct for a long time now. Nearly 100 years. Shaking his head like he's clearing a mental etch-a-sketch, he holds up both hands and takes another look around the valley.

Long walkways that stretch away from where they're standing. Floating platforms that look treacherous to navigate. Oversized tea kettles jutting up from the ground that look like they lead to nowhere, with lids comprised of grates that suggest an entrance. There's nothing like this anywhere else in Inkopolis, not that he's seen at least. 

"Ame, we need you to swear you won't tell anyone before we go any further." Marie's voice pulls him back and he swallows, hard. "This is very sensitive information and we don't want to incite a panic."

Well, internally he's already panicking a little - he runs Callie's words through his mind again to make sure he's got them memorized. "Yeah, okay, whatever, I'll keep your secrets - I just need some answers. Kidnapped? My sister was  _ kidnapped _ ?" It doesn't add up, and he can't put the pieces together around the echo of Jinx was kidnapped. "What do you two have to do with any of this? Underground? Octarians--?!" 

At least they don't have to keep him quiet down here, Marie supposes to herself, as the incited panic is very clearly just going to be his. 

"We're part of a very small group called the New Squidbeak Splatoon - I guess you could call us freedom fighters?" It sounds so cliche when she says it like that. "We've been protecting the city from the very real Octarian menace for the last couple of years now; just last year, Jinx saved the Great Zapfish and took down their leader."

"We call her Agent 3," Callie chimes in. 

"Obviously he didn't  _ stay  _ down if he kidnapped her." Ame's tone holds no amusement, arms folding across his chest. The more he hears, the less he likes. "Jinx has been, what - a soldier? For the last two years?" 

Marie and Callie exchange glances and the former gives a noncommittal shrug, the latter wringing her hands a bit. "Yeah, more or less."

She says it like she isn't riddled with guilt in the slightest. Like the idea of sending a 16 year old into strange territory where she could have gotten herself killed didn't weigh on their minds - because that's how old Jinx was when she'd first come to Inkopolis, how old she'd have been when they recruited her. She says it like that and for just a split second, Ame's hand instinctively reaches for the blaster that he knows isn't there. He's never wanted to splat a Squid Sister before.

"Anyway, the point is, we're telling you all this because we think you can help us." Like she didn't just admit to putting his sibling in danger. "We can give you a crash course on the NSS, and then we can evaluate your skill level. Then, with any luck, we'll find a good jumping off point and send you underground."

"No, hang on, the  _ point  _ is that my sister is in danger!" Ame knows he should be more level-headed, especially when he's talking to the only people who can point him down the right path - the one that leads to putting his family back together - but this is so much to find out so quickly. "She's in danger, and from what I'm hearing, it's _ you two _ to blame for it?!" 

Callie shuffles a little closer to Marie. "Being passionate about stuff must run in the family," she murmurs with a wince, and Marie's jaw tightens. They don't have time for this.

"You can either waste your energy pinning this on Callie and I, or you can direct that anger at DJ Octavio and help us get Jinx back." Her tone is not gentle, it leaves little room for argument without him looking like a stubborn idiot, and that's just how she wants it. They can't afford any more delays, not when they've finally got some semblance of hope. "I think we both know what you'd rather do."

Ever more gently, Callie offers Ame a bit of sympathy. "We care about her too," she assures him. "We've been doing everything we can to try and find her. With you, we'll actually have a chance. Please." 

He'd like to say he weighs his options carefully. Being pragmatic isn't exactly a Valente family trait, though - and when he really takes the time to think about it, Ame realizes that he can't fault his sister for jumping into something like this. For joining a cause whose sole purpose is to protect the people she cares about. As much as he doesn't want to admit it, Marie is right. 

He takes a deep breath and resigns himself to the truth: there are no options.

"Okay. Just tell me what I have to do."

Marie retracts metaphorical claws. "Welcome to the New Squidbeak Splatoon, then... Agent 4."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is always appreciated! I'd love to get your thoughts on this project of mine.


	4. Refer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time passes, and an inkling grows into what has become her new normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Splatoween everyone!!! I hope you're all enjoying Splatfest! Did you pick Team Trick? Team Treat? O: 
> 
> In the midst of it all, here is a new chapter for you.~ Enjoy!

_ Refer _

The first two weeks of routine, they say, are the most crucial.

Okay, so Subject Zero doesn't actually know if that's true or not. She's never heard anyone say that. While it proves a challenge to get her into said routine at first, her roommates - she doesn't think she's quite up to calling them friends yet, doesn't know if she's allowed to, has to be told for sure what she can and can't do and even then looks for further confirmation - help her adjust. 

Private Visana and Private Asifor - Zuri and Rika, respectively. When information finally sticks in her brain, she learns their names properly, and even though it doesn't sound correct she offers up 'Subject Zero' as her own name. At one point she digs for something different, something that feels right, but a warning jolt of electricity stops her in her search and leaves her with nothing but a splitting headache. Zuri slaps her heartily on the back and tells her not to worry about it. 

"'Zero' seems kinda mean though," she admits. "I'm gonna call you Z."

Righting herself from nearly being knocked over, the inkling offers a tired smile. "If that's what you want." She can't complain too much, not when Zuri and Rika are the only ones who seem to like her.

Those first two weeks pass, working around a fairly consistent schedule. Wake up is far too early for her but she drags herself out of bed at 6AM sharp, staggering to the bathroom for morning ablutions before making her way to the mess hall. Ever since the first meal in the barracks, she's known the rations aren't enough to quell the empty ache in her stomach - not completely, and she's consequently almost always hungry. She takes a handful of vitamins and chases them with black coffee, angular ears flicking to attention when the speakers come on for morning briefings. It gives her a chance to wake up.

From there she's put through her paces in drills - obstacle courses, laps, all very standard as she's assured by Colonel Tokaal and it's admittedly her favorite part of the day. Zero isn't entirely sure why, but she's adept at anything that involves physical activity. In just two weeks she's managed to surpass expectations and impress the instructor. While any formal training is lost to her, her body just... moves. Gets her from point A to point B, very efficiently.

There are downsides. For example, she's not entirely sure why she keeps getting dirty looks, or why the tentacle troopers make such a wide circle around her. By the end of the second week she gets called out by another soldier, an octoling trooper with an ax to grind who confronts her on the field after drills. 

"This is the dreaded 'inkling menace' huh? You're not so tough." He gets into her personal space, pokes a couple of fingers into her shoulder. 

Something inside of her burns in that moment and she brushes his hand away. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't touch me," she says.

The octoling snorts and shoves her back, hard enough that she stumbles. 

He stands roughly half a foot taller than she is. Octolings as a whole tend to be taller than her, she's noticed. They also tend to not realize that a smaller package means she's quicker than they are, and she ducks beneath it when he takes a swing at her. In a series of swift, fluid motions, she gets up onto his back and grabs his wrist, twisting his arm backward and driving her knee between his shoulders. He goes down fast and she grabs him by the tentacles, shoving his face into the ground before he can swear.

"I said,  _ don't touch me _ ." 

The only reason she doesn't get in trouble for that one, she imagines, is because Rika steps in to cover for her. "Private Ramos instigated," she informs the sergeant, standing very pointedly in front of her inkling companion. "Subject Zero was simply defending herself, and as you can see there was no serious harm done." 

They both get off with a warning and Rika turns to Zero with the sweetest smile. 

"You didn't have to do that," Zero says, though she's grateful for the help.

Rika's smile grows. "Ramos is an ass. It was worth it to watch you humiliate him.~" She chirps.

She loops her arm around Zero's elbow and they go to lunch together that day.

The third week starts in something of a mess. 

One of the challenges plaguing Subject Zero is her sleep schedule - or the lack thereof. After getting the rest she so desperately needed on arrival at Cephalon HQ, sleeping through the night has proved... troublesome. She twists and shifts, kicks off the blankets, hugs the pillow one moment and chucks it onto the floor the next. 

She grits her teeth one night and follows said pillow to the floor, pulling the single blanket and the sheet off of her cot and shaping it all into a haphazard nest under the bed. Next, she wedges the pillow in, finally shifting into her inky squid form and curling up inside of the whole thing. 

In theory, it's a fantastic idea.

In practice, she's woken up the next morning to Zuri dragging her unceremoniously out of her comfortable pile of sleep, holding her up high and announcing, "RIKA, I FOUND HER!!" As though the moments leading up to the discovery had been raw panic. Apparently they had been trying to hunt her down all morning.

All in all, not the best start to the day. 

Zero sits in the mess hall and blinks blearily into the dark surface of her coffee that morning, dreading the thought of drills and chores later - the lack of sleep is really starting to catch up with her, and she's sure that's something the sergeant won't take for an excuse if she starts screwing up now. The thought reminds her that the hypnoshades, as she's heard them called, are still just as present on her face. 

Her stomach churns unpleasantly at the idea of correction, something only she seems to know the terrors of thus far. 

"Word on the street is you're gettin' assigned a new babysitter!" Zuri slides into the seat across from her, more awake than Zero could ever dream of being. "What'd ya do to need extra supervision, Z?" 

Rika scoots in next to her fellow octoling, the tiniest worried tilt to her brow. "I hope it wasn't that thing with Ramos - just because you're an inkling shouldn't mean harsher punishment when you slip up." She clicks her tongue. "Should've broken his nose. Then he'd really have something to whine about."

A low gurgle of distress bubbles in Zero's throat and she squeezes her eyes shut tightly behind her shades, trying to fight off an already-budding headache. She starts to dig through her still-faulty memory, did they tell her about a new assignment...? Surely they must have, she just. Can't recall.

"I don't know," she says with a shrug, tapping her fingers against the side of her paper coffee cup. She doesn't know much of anything even now, everything is on a need-to-know basis and clearly it isn't important enough - she's still waiting for better fitting armor to show up in her bunk. 

Speaking of that, she supposes, she should probably head back to the room and get properly dressed. Maybe a quick shower before drills, so she can wonder about this new 'babysitter' in the quiet.

It's halfway through the day when Subject Zero spots Colonel Tokaal at the edge of the field, just before lunch - she stands there with her head held high, shoulders back, arms folded behind her, the powerful stance Zero is used to seeing her in. Zuri notices too, giving the inkling a bump with one broad shoulder. 

"It's been a good run, eh?" She teases, as Rika gives her a 'look.' “I’ll make a nice speech at your funeral.”

"Don't listen to her, Zero," the smaller octoling pats her shoulder. "You'll be fine. We'll see you back at the barracks." 

They head off the field together, talking and laughing endlessly as they do. Off-handedly, Zero can't help but feel A Way about how close they are. It tugs at something inside of her, something almost like nostalgia, but she can't quite put her finger on it - so as with most things like that, she lets it go before delving deeper can earn her a correction. 

She shakes her head and jogs toward the Colonel, standing up straight with her hands at her sides as she's been taught. "Ma'am," she greets with a little nod. 

Noemi in general isn't the happiest octoling around, but today she looks to be in a particularly stormy mood. "Forgetting something, Subject Zero?" She quips. 

The inkling corrects herself, raising her hand to her forehead in a salute. "Sorry. Did you... need to see me, Ma'am?" 

Satisfied, Noemi gives a dismissive wave of one hand before tucking it behind her again. "That'll do. You've been excused from drills for the remainder of the afternoon - come with me." 

It's so abrupt and leaves no room for argument, but so much to the imagination. Zero swallows hard, wondering just what she's in trouble for as she tails her commanding officer back to her office. 

The last time she was in this room, she can remember feeling small and unimportant. Exhausted. Talked about like some kind of tool and not a living, breathing individual. Not much has actually changed, of course, it's only been a few weeks - as they come through the door and Noemi sits behind the desk, Zero takes immediate note of the new face in the room.

Honestly, she can't help but stare. 

The octoling is just a touch taller than Noemi, and the only word Zero can think of to describe her is 'elegant.' That's all there is for it, really - long tentacles swept to the left over her brow, curling over her shoulders in the front while one in particular hangs down her back. A dark olive color dipped into what may have been liquid gold at some point, complimenting coffee-brown skin and matching pupil-less eyes. 

Eyes that _definitely_ notice her staring.

Eyes that flicker with something Zero can't pick up as the tiniest smile graces golden painted lips. 

She has no idea if this woman is a soldier or not. She sure doesn't look like one. 

"Subject Zero," Noemi's harsh bark snaps her out of the trance and her head whips back toward the Colonel, stance rigid. "If you're done  _ daydreaming _ , let me introduce you to Officer Aura Ono." She says the name with barely-concealed venom, enough to make Zero wonder just what kind of beef she has with the officer. 

Her throat feels dry and she swallows to try and alleviate it, letting her gaze wander back toward Aura. "Nice to meet you, Ma'am," she croaks. 

"You as well, Subject Zero." Aura speaks softly, a stark contrast to the Colonel. There's something undeniably soothing about it.

"Ono will be shadowing you until further notice." It's the last thing she says directly to Zero before she raises a hand. A hand that's holding something small and familiar, something that makes the inkling's skin prickle in discomfort and her mouth run dry. 

"They said you'd need a brief demonstration." 

_ Click _ .

Zero's vision blurs for a moment as the shock punches through her temples and she has barely a moment to realize what's happening before her own thoughts give way completely. Instead there's a voice, some unseen force gnawing at her brain stem. Taking away her free will. She stands at attention, no longer a person - just a tool made to follow orders.

Noemi steps out from behind the desk. "Subject Zero?"

Her voice comes out of her mouth automatically, not quite monotonous but lacking any real emotion. "Yes, Colonel Tokaal."

"Take one step forward."

Aura watches the inkling move no more than a single step closer to Noemi with absolutely no hesitation, keeping one arm tucked beneath her elbow and a clawed finger resting beneath her chin. She says nothing.

"Kneel." 

Again there's no reluctance, no sign of any filter between the simple command and the reaction to follow. Subject Zero bends a knee onto the aged carpet and bows her head in the most obvious show of subordination possible, and there's the slightest twitch at the corner of Noemi's mouth. Pleased with the results. 

"This is at the lowest setting. We've had no opportunity to test anything further yet, though we should have clearance after the subject's next physical exam." She clears her throat. "Now, Subject Zero--" 

"That's enough, Colonel," Aura interjects pleasantly. Before Noemi can argue, and oh the look on her face says she absolutely wants to, the officer moves to Subject Zero's side and easily finds the switch on the hypnoshades.

_ Click _ . 

Noemi almost looks furious when Zero comes back to herself, tipping her head back from where she's knelt on the floor. It's quickly and expertly concealed as she passes the remote control into Aura's outstretched hand, and - when did Aura wind up right beside her? She replays the moments over like a film reel in her mind's eye, like watching someone else's experiences from a back room.

"I will escort the subject back to the barracks, Colonel." Aura curls a delicate hand into the crook of Zero's elbow, gently tugging her to her feet. "Thank you for being so accommodating."

Before Noemi can respond, Aura guides the inkling out of the office and back into the hall. 

It's a bit of an awkward walk at first. Zero can feel Officer Ono's gaze on her back for most of it, the octoling trailing just a step or two behind her - neither of them say a word. She wants to. Wants to say thank you for putting an end to the 'demonstration,' before things could get embarrassing. After all, getting down on one knee and bowing to Colonel Noemi isn't the worst thing in the world.

Finally, she takes a deep breath and turns to look over her shoulder. "So, uh. Officer Ono?" 

"Aura is fine." She's all pleasantries, it seems, though the professionalism that oozed from every pore back in the office has swept away from her now. The elegance, however, doesn't leave. "Shall I call you Zero, will that do?" 

"It’s… not really my name, y’know." She scuffs a boot against the scratched up vinyl tiles, occasionally glancing forward to make sure she's not about to run into anyone. 

“Oh?” It’s inquisitive instead of condescending, like she might expect of a high-ranking officer. “What is your name, then?” 

She kind of wishes Aura would walk beside her instead, the hallway is fairly empty. It would certainly make her easier to speak to. “I--I don’t remember. But I know it’s not Zero.” She trails off into a mutter, feeling silly for even saying it. 

By some manner of grace, Aura remains open to the concept. “Ah… well, why don’t we just call you Zero for now? Just until you remember. Would that be alright?”

The inkling doesn’t particularly like it, but what else can she do? “Yeah, it’s fine,” she relents. "So… can I ask what exactly your job is? 'Shadowing' me? What's that mean?" 

While she isn't paying attention, Aura lays a warm hand on her shoulder and nudges her very gently to the right. A tentatrooper scurries around their legs, one she definitely would have tripped over. "Just what it sounds like," she says. "I'm simply here to observe your behavior, and make sure any accomodations you need are met. We're not exactly known for hosting inklings down here, if you catch my drift." 

The heels of Aura's boots click against the floor in the quiet hall, the majority of soldiers probably in the mess hall. Zero can feel her stomach rumble in protest at even the idea of missing lunch, but she does have the afternoon off - maybe she'll snag a ration bar later. 

"Oh." Like she hasn't noticed that she's the only inkling here. "Okay, uh. That... sounds simple enough." 

That awkward quiet settles back in, heel clacking aside, until Zero stops at her door. 

"This one's me, so uh. Are you-- do you have a room here?" She hesitates, wondering if it's a stupid question. "Where can I find you?" 

The same little smile from before touches Aura's lips. Unexpectedly, she reaches for the hypnoshades, tugging them just loose enough from Zero's ears to rest them atop her head instead. The inkling's lids flutter as her eyes adjust to the light - she looks up and gets caught in the gaze of warm amber. 

"I'm the first door on your right, at the top of the stairs. If you need anything - anything at all--" For some reason, she lets the sentence hang in the air for a moment or two before continuing. "--you can come to me."

Zero nods a little, unsure of what the implications of that might be. 

"I'll see you in a bit, Subject Zero." 

With that promise, the octoling disappears down the hall, leaving the echoing click of her boots in her wake - and Zero stands there staring after her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who do we like? Who do we want to kick in the shins? As always, feedback is greatly appreciated!


	5. Reunite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At least they take good care of their new pet.
> 
> Unfortunately, no one bothered to check if she had any siblings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I say Sundays? I meant Saturdays. Saturdays are update days.

_ Reunite _

Getting used to Aura takes significantly more time than Subject Zero would have expected. 

It isn't like she doesn't have the opportunity to spend time with the octoling officer. Quite the opposite - when Aura said she would be shadowing the inkling, she wasn't kidding. It seems like she's always there, a quiet background decoration, just... observing. Golden eyes train on her while she's running drills, she can feel them between her shoulders during her physical exams every week. So far, the only privacy she gets is after lights out and during her morning routine. 

Zero can't say it makes her uncomfortable, especially considering that it isn't bad company. Aura blends into the background enough that others don't pay her much mind, and when she does speak her voice is soft and inviting. By the same token she stands out with a kind of beauty that has the inkling's gaze trained on her more often than not. She can't help it. 

Rika and Zuri aren't subtle when they catch her in the act during lunch one day, the latter ready with a teasing grin on her face as she reaches across the table and nudges Zero's hand with her spoon. 

"That your babysitter?" She doesn't bother keeping her voice down and the inkling's attention snaps quickly toward her. "She's hot. I'd let her 'babysit' me." A wiggle of her eyebrows and a boisterous laugh rewards the flush that crosses Zero's face.

Rika rolls her eyes, a gently exasperated sigh escaping her lungs. At least when she leans in, she tries to speak softly. "I wouldn't get too attached if I were you," she warns. "I've heard a lot of rumors about Aura Ono, and if half of them are true, she's the  _ last  _ person you want to get involved with." 

It's perfectly reasonable advice, and Zero does try to follow it... for the first month. She doesn't seek Aura out on her own, not outside of her usual schedule, and keeps conversation between them to a bare minimum. Of course, she has to answer a few questions now and then about how she's feeling, but otherwise it shouldn't be terribly difficult to keep that distance between them.

The problem is, Aura seems to have her own gravitational pull, and while she's watched plenty of octoling soldiers make a wide circle around her, Zero is exactly the opposite - she can't help but want to be close to the woman. There's nothing scary about her, nothing off-putting or uncomfortable. She's easy to be around, she doesn't have expectations, she just... observes. 

Zero tries, but it doesn't work out for very long. 

A week before she's to be dispatched into the field for the very first time - something about an intruder trying to steal a power source - the inkling has a medical exam. She's used to these, it's the seventh one in as many weeks, and she goes through all the motions; no, there are no changes to her appetite. Yes, she's still taking all of her supplements in the morning. No, her sleeping habits haven't changed. 

When everything checks out, Aura sees her back to her room. Her room. Not Zero's. It's a little unprecedented, but no matter what the octoling's official title is, if she's Colonel Tokaal's superior that means she calls the shots - so Zero doesn't ask, just follows. 

"No need for concern, Subject Zero," Aura speaks up as the door closes behind them. "It's been two months. We're due for a post-examination follow-up." She gestures toward a chair and the inkling settles into it, hands resting in her lap as she peers around the room.

It's about the size of the Colonel's office, with a proper bed and a single window in the far wall. Sparsely furnished beyond that - there's a small shelf with a few books tucked into it and the chair she's sitting in, set up beside a little table. A second chair, in which Aura places herself with a tablet in her lap just a moment later.

Zero's gaze drifts toward her automatically, picking idly at the edge of her fingerless gloves. She watches Aura tuck a tentacle behind her ear, fingers following the way it curls for just an extra moment. Those golden eyes focused on the tablet in her lap as she checks a few things, scans, and swipes through. 

"How are you feeling, Subject Zero?" 

The inkling pushes the hypnoshades away from her face, resting them atop her head and scrubbing the heel of her hand into one eyelid. "Fine," she decides with a shrug. 

To her surprise, Aura gives her a skeptical look. "You don't need to keep up appearances with me. Be honest. Complain, if you must." She taps something on her tablet screen and her eyes train on Zero.

_ Be honest _ . If that's how she wants it, Zero supposes she could say something about how she's almost always hungry - though that isn't really anyone's fault but her own, as she seems to be the only person she knows who's still hungry after every meal. She can speak on how difficult she finds sleeping, no matter how tired she is, but then she always figures out a way to drift off again eventually and it doesn't really affect her performance...

A familiar dull throbbing behind her eyes makes her wince reflexively, the beginnings of a headache. She lifts a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose, squeezes her eyes shut tight, wills it to fade even as she says "No, I'm really okay."

"What's wrong?" Aura asks, and the inkling looks up at her again. 

It takes her a second. "Oh, I uh. Just a headache. Happens a lot," she admits sheepishly. 

"I see." At first, it's just a gentle hum in Aura's throat. Then she moves the tablet out of her lap, setting it on the table beside them, and pulls her chair closer - close enough that she can reach out and touch Zero's face. The subject tenses a little, not really used to anyone getting into her personal space like that besides Zuri and Rika.

"It's okay, they go away on their own--" She protests quickly, but the octoling's gloved fingertips are already pressing gently against her temples. Zero opens her mouth again, but the strangest thing happens before she can stop it.

Aura applies just a little pressure and massages in tiny circular motions, effectively easing some of the pain in the inkling's skull. 

It's an alarming combination of thoughts and feelings that come with the situation, though. On the one hand it's nice, having some kind of physical contact that isn't just Zuri manhandling her out from under the bed or sparring with Rika. At the same time, is this okay? Should she be enjoying this? Aura is supposed to be watching her progress, sending reports back to headquarters (whatever that means), this kind of thing is more a doctor's job.

Besides, the medical officer told her she was fine the very first time she brought up the headaches.

Zero draws in a deep, slow breath, and with the exhale her shoulders slump forward just a bit. It feels good, so so good - she finally stops fighting it and closes her eyes, leaning her head forward like an offering. 

"Better?" The octoling's voice is as soft as ever, and if she didn't know any better she might say it sounded concerned. Concerned for her well-being. It isn't necessarily rare, but she's much more used to being told off for anything that isn't a major health concern. 

All she manages in response is an appreciative hum in the back of her throat. When Aura smooths her palms down and starts those same circular motions into the back of her neck, Zero nearly melts, pressing her cheek against the officer's forearm without thinking. Hardly aware anymore of any trace of headache.

"If you have any health concerns, no matter how trivial they might seem to you, please bring them to my attention." Aura keeps going, though the pressure is long gone and for the first time in weeks, Subject Zero's head doesn't hurt. "You can't be at your best if you're uncomfortable." 

When she pulls away, the inkling leans into her touch automatically, chasing after it as though it's something she wants to hold onto. When she opens her eyes again, a familiar little smile greets her. 

"I'm here to help you," Aura assures her, taking up the tablet again and tapping it to life. "My door is always open." 

Zero doesn't hang around for very long after that, but at least it isn't awkward or uncomfortable when she does. She makes a mental note not to tell Rika about the way her skin is still tingling where Aura's clever fingertips were resting.

An extra pill shows up with her supplements the next morning, and after a few days, her headaches subside completely.

\---

The problem with working with Ame is that he's a busy guy. 

Callie and Marie are busy too, of course - but their 'busy' and his struggle to line up in such a way that allows them to meet very often. Ame, as it turns out, is a prominent figure in the turf war scene. He has a league team of his own and they practice twice a week at least. The Squid Sisters have to make up excuses to bail on rehearsals and shoots just to grab him and get underground for a couple of hours, and that's a card they really can't afford to play too often. 

So, they wait. They agonize, they strategize, they map, and they stay in touch. Focus shifts away from Octo Valley when it becomes apparent the place is more or less abandoned - instead, they discover Octo Canyon from a drain in Inkopolis Square. A month drags on with absolutely no results, no trace of their beloved Agent 3 anywhere, but at least they manage to rescue their first few juvenile zapfish in the process.

The upside to it all is that Ame is a quick learner. He takes a crash course on what the NSS is all about, what their goals are, and Sheldon even gets in on the operation with his own modified versions of basic turf weapons. He attaches himself to the Hero Blaster whenever possible. 

Callie is ridiculously excited to have him, gushes about how he's exceeded their expectations, how Marie was right on the money deciding to ask for his help. Marie smiles politely and quietly laments that no matter how good he is, he still isn't Agent 3.

She tries very,  _ very  _ hard not to invest in those kinds of thoughts. She can't afford to miss Agent 3, because then she'll start missing Jinx, and she really isn't ready to talk about that. 

Ame finds out by accident over the radio. Marie is a little surprised he didn't already know, saying as much when Callie brings up "that one time Jinx kissed you in the middle of the Plaza" over the radio and he consequently loses his balance and topples off a ride rail. When he respawns at the checkpoint, huffing and blowing an errant tentacle out of his face, she gives the barest explanation she can. 

"We started dating last year," Marie says into her phone with as little emotion as possible, because she really doesn't want to talk about it, and she changes the topic with practiced ease. "Twintacle trooper on your left."

They never talk about it again after that. Ame finishes his business at the Tentakeel Outpost and they move on to the next set of domes. 

Suction-Cup Lookout is worth another month, but comparatively that isn't bad - it's much bigger than the outpost, more domes to check and clear out. More practice for Ame, more juvenile zapfish they can take back from the Octarians who so rudely displaced them. 

No one talks about how there's still no sign of Agent 3. 

The next dome is small and enclosed - when Ame gets a chance to take it in, he realizes it's an astonishingly perfect replica of The Reef. Complete with a spawn point on the other side of the course. Of all the challenges he's faced so far, he can't say he was ever expecting something like this.

"What are the Octarians playing at?" He steps off the spawn point, Blaster at the ready as he scans the area. "This is a little creepy." 

"Octolings," Marie responds without missing a beat. "Agent 3 had to deal with this kinda thing, too. Looks like they're upping their game. Don't get splatted." 

One thing he's learned about her over the last couple of months is she has a penchant for sardonic remarks. He doesn't think he could work with her if it were just the two of them - luckily they have Callie as a buffer. 

"It looks like there's mini zapfish here, instead of just the one," Callie reports. "So there'll be... eight of those, I think? That's what Sheldon said when he was scoping it out." 

That explains the backpack they sent him in with. "Thanks, Cal. I'll handle it from here." Rolling his shoulders to limber up a bit, Ame gets to work.

The spawn point across the stage whirs to life and he watches four octoling soldiers materialize in a swirl of magenta ink, watching as he takes his first steps toward the mini zapfish hidden behind glass. It's easy enough for the first out of eight - he chucks a splat bomb at the container, dips into his own mint-colored ink and swims in to snag the wriggling creature. 

It's small enough to fit comfortably into the bag on his shoulders and he tucks it in safely, zipping it up but leaving a teeny hole for it to breathe. One down, seven to go. 

Before he can get too far, a superjump indicator blinks to life a few feet away from him. Ame readies his blaster and steps back in time for one of the octoling soldiers to land and roll, just out of the way of his shot. She smirks at him and says something in her native tongue, none of which he understands, but by her tone he just knows she's mocking him.

They dance around each other for a few moments before Ame finally manages to get a good hit on her, taking her out with a garbled cry of pain that fades into echoes. He doesn't waste any time getting to the next glass bulb, keeping his eyes peeled for another octoling to attack.

"We'll shut down their respawn point as quick as we can, Agent 4!" Callie comes in over the radio as he splats another octoling and pulls another zapfish free. "You won't have to worry about them coming back for a second helping!"

Ame discovers quickly, as he maneuvers around the arena taking out the soldiers one by one, that there are more than four. Some of them have been waiting in the ink, secret spawns that must have heard of an infiltration and come running before his arrival - he gets splatted twice before he gets seven of the mini zapfish, but he makes sure to take out all of the octolings in the process. 

Through the whole endeavor, he can't help but feel like there's someone watching him. He could blame it on the obvious, the enemy octolings that he's been splatting, but as he presses his back against a wall to catch his breath after the last one is downed... the feeling doesn't go away. A shiver trickles down his spine and he tries to do a quick but thorough scan of The Reef.

From his vantage point, he can see almost everything except for the space beneath the bridge and the roped-in ramped areas by the enemy spawn point. He's familiar with this map, he's played it many times in League matches before, so he knows those particular spots can be dangerous to rush toward. 

The last mini zapfish is positioned in the very center of the bridge.

If he throws a splat bomb and makes a break for it, he thinks he's quick enough to grab it and make a mad dash for his own respawn pad.

Ame pushes the 'talk' button on his radio headset. "Hey guys, can you have Sheldon on standby to get me out of here? Thirty seconds. I'll be ready." 

"Copy that, Agent 4."

Taking a deep breath, he pulls a splat bomb from the mechanism on his ink tank and throws it as hard as he can toward the bridge. He's got a good arm, so at least there's that, and as soon as it hits the ground beside the bulb he dives into the ink and speeds forward. Shifting quickly back into his bipedal form, he reaches out to grab the mini zapfish, ready to tuck it into the bag and get the hell out of there.

That feeling of being watched sends a chill through him and he clutches to the handle of his weapon tightly in response, sharp gaze darting up as a flash of black and yellow flits in his periphery. He barely turns when the familiar sting of enemy ink collides with his shoulder, cracking his armor and forcing him away from the zapfish. 

Frantically, his eyes dart around for the source - there are definitely no more octoling soldiers, but this doesn't feel the same. Focusing, he can hear the familiar sound of a cephaling dipping in and out of ink, distant and then close. He turns to fire and the blast crackles in nothing but empty air.

Growling in frustration, Ame pivots one more time--

He's met with the barrel of an octoshot to the center of his chest. He gets just the briefest glimpse of pastel purple tentacles and dark skin before the weapon fires, splatting him a third and final time. 

Ame wakes up outside of the dome, flat on his back at Suction-Cup Lookout. The bright pink of one of Callie's tentacles nudges his cheek as his eyelids flutter and his vision clears, and he can see her leaning over him with concern clear on her face.

The backpack, flung to the side when he got booted out of the kettle, is deflated and empty.

"Are you okay...? What happened?" Callie asks gently as Ame sits up. 

Marie is already picking up the discarded backpack, checking it despite the obvious truth that the mission was a failure. "The Octarians were playing dirty on that one. The extra octoling shouldn't have even been able to spawn in..." She clicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth in annoyance.

"Right, that was crazy! She must have come in before the rest and hidden herself." Callie hums and straightens up, resting her hands on her hips. "I mean,  _ real  _ well. We watched you sweep that entire place, Agent 4."

For a moment Ame sits there, processing. Thinking. Trying to remember any detail he can about that last Octarian, the enemy who had brought him down. All he can remember is purple.

"...I don't... Did you guys see her?" Dark blue eyes glance from Callie to Marie and back again, his brow creased. Hoping one of them was paying close enough attention to the attack to catch something he couldn't.

Callie frowns, shaking her head. "I blinked and it was over. Whoever she is, she's quick."

"I don't think it's safe to assume she was a typical Octarian soldier." Marie purses her lips, not pleased with the idea. "I'm not positive, but I could've sworn she had..." 

"...Inkling tentacles?" Ame finishes her sentence for her, his gaze locked on her. He says it so quietly, like he doesn't want to believe it. There aren't supposed to be any other inklings in the Canyon, after all. 

The silence that falls over the Lookout is thick with tension, discomfort, as the thought settles in and takes root for all three of them. Callie looks pale in the light of the setting sun, and Marie's gaze is distant. 

"I think... I think it's time to call it a day," she says after far too long. "We'll discuss the situation tonight and try again tomorrow. Can you swing that?" 

Ame doesn't know. He has practice, but something about this just doesn't sit right with him. His stomach is churning and his mind races - he tries to shake the awful feeling in his gut, the assumption his mind is trying to make. After all, an inkling amongst the Octarians? That can't be a coincidence, can it? 

"...Yeah," he says at last, getting to his feet and brushing the dust from his pants. "I can do that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I welcome any questions, feedback, whatever~ Hope you all had a great week!


	6. Repose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A state of rest, sleep, or tranquility.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Saturday everyone, I hope you've had a good week!
> 
> I come bearing gifts from the wonderful Teapot, including references for this lovely cast.
> 
> Zuri: https://illuthra.tumblr.com/post/631049477358239744
> 
> Rika: https://illuthra.tumblr.com/post/632115818023485440

_ Repose _

Subject Zero comes back from her first official assignment with her head held high, adrenaline still coursing through her veins - the rush has her riding a high she didn't even know existed, unable to keep the grin off her face as she recounts as much as she can for Zuri and Rika. She can barely sit through the debriefing, eager to get back to her room and take a breather. 

Unexpectedly, her pulse takes a running leap forward when she spots Aura in the office. She's sure their eyes meet while the Colonel is speaking with an accompanying officer, one of the octolings who did the drop and monitored the situation whose name she can't remember, and--

" _ Subject Zero _ , acknowledge!" 

Oops, that's Noemi.

The inkling snaps back to attention, standing up straight again and holding her hands firm at her sides. "Yes, Chief!" 

"Thank you for joining us." Colonel Tokaal doesn't sound all that grateful, actually - thinly-veiled sarcasm laces her words instead. "Did you put the inkling that infiltrated out of commission?" 

Zero nods. "Yes, Ma'am! The zapfish have also been distributed back to their bulbs."

It isn't much of a change, but there's the tiniest quirk to Noemi's brow, like she might be impressed. It doesn't linger. "Very good. I'll expect a report on my desk as soon as possible," she addresses a lieutenant Zero isn't familiar with, who nods in turn. "You're all dismissed." 

It's easy enough - the inkling turns to follow Zuri and Rika out, hoping to catch up with them on their way to dinner--

"Not you, Subject Zero," Noemi's voice stops her in her tracks, and her spirits are dampened by a sudden wave of nervous tension. The last time she was in this office, it was for a "demonstration" of the hypnoshades. She's been doing so well, she can't imagine that would be necessary again... right? 

Swallowing, Zero turns toward the Colonel and nods. "Yes, Ma'am?" She tries to sound confident, glancing as inconspicuously as she can toward Aura - who is, thankfully, still there. 

When Noemi stands, she has no remote in her hand. Instead she reaches into one of her drawers, pulling out a package wrapped with simple brown paper. She steps around the desk and offers it up. 

"Your uniform." 

It's been two months and Zero is so used to the secondhand armor she was given, it takes her a second to process. "Oh," she says, taking the package in both hands and examining the paper like she can see through it. "Thank you." 

There's perhaps too many beats of silence before Noemi clears her throat, pointedly. 

"You're dismissed, Subject Zero." 

Right. Nodding, Zero remembers to give a quick salute before she escapes the office, as aware of Aura behind her as she ever is. She's already ripping into the package in her hands before they reach her room, where she lays it out on her cot to admire the perfectly polished gleam of metal against black leather. There's a moment she takes to be thankful they gave her leggings instead of shorts. 

The addition she wasn't expecting, though, is what catches her eye. It's a black jacket with a loose, high collar, strips of reflective yellow material running down either side and flowing from the shoulders like streamers in the back. She runs her fingertips over the fabric, eyes wide with curiosity. While she can't quite place it, the design feels... familiar, somehow. 

A wave of nausea and unease sweeps over her at the thought, her skin prickling uncomfortably. She quickly shoves it away before the discomfort can get any worse.

"This is incredible," she breathes, completely in awe of having something unique. Something that's hers, that sets her apart from the other soldiers. Slowly, a giddy grin spreads across her face - the inkling immediately tugs off the old armor she's been wearing, struggling a bit with the skin tight leather, and tries on the gorgeous new set. 

It barely occurs to her that Aura is still in the room - after all, they all share space. She's seen Zuri and Rika undress hundreds of times. 

While she can't say she's fond of how close to her skin the military standard tends to be, the fabric is surprisingly breathable. She can twist and bend, it follows her movements and doesn't hinder her at all. Zero fastens the belts at her hip, adjusts the fingerless gloves and makes sure they're snug on her forearms, slips the jacket on and zips it up. The hem rests just beneath her ribs.

Taking a deep breath and testing her mobility, she finally turns back to face Aura. 

"How's it look?" 

She's met with a polite little smile, potentially approval. "It suits you."

Beyond pleased, Zero dusts off a sleeve and takes a moment to compose herself, lest she take off running for the mess hall. She needs to show off for her roommates, after all. 

\---

Sleep is a pipe dream for her that night. 

As a rule, ever since she arrived at the Cephalon HQ base, she's struggled to sleep through the night. Always shifting, fighting to get comfortable, waking up every hour or so and staring at the ceiling. She has dreams, but none of them are of any consequence, just her wandering through empty hallways, opening doors that lead to nowhere, calling out for signs of life and listening to her voice echo into nothing.

This time, it's different. This time, she sees a face. 

It's a face she recognizes, the one of the inkling she put a temporary end to earlier that day. It's mint-colored tentacles with constellation spots just like hers, it's nut brown skin and aquamarine eyes. It's the shocked look on his face right before she fires into his chest and dispenses of him. As the scene replays in her mind's eye over and over again, she could swear there was just the faintest hint of that same feeling nagging at her, written on his face.

He recognized her, too.

It's ridiculous, that idea. Zero digs the heels of her palms against her eyelids, the threatening ghost of a headache already starting up - bouncing back and forth between her temples like a game of ping pong. A low groan rises in the back of her throat and she sits up, swinging her legs over the edge of her cot and padding toward the door. She's not going to get any more sleep, she doesn't think.

Whenever she can't sleep, she finds herself wandering the dark, empty halls of the base. It's a bit like her usual dreams, but at least she knows if she starts making a ruckus, she'll get a response here. The sound of her bare feet against the worn tile leaves a soft echo behind and her ears twitch to listen until it's gone each time, heading for the mess hall to sneak a rations bar. 

Snack in hand, the inkling just...wanders.

Up the hall, and down again. Passing doors on either side where her fellow soldiers sleep on. Occasionally she'll hear snoring, very rarely hushed conversation. Everyone around here seems to keep to a fairly healthy schedule, but naturally she's the odd one out. During the day she doesn't have time to focus too hard on that fact, but at night when her thoughts wander just as she does, it's difficult to forget.

She's an inkling. Wherever she's from, wherever she came from, it isn't here. A good amount of the Octarians here don't let her forget that, making wide circles around her or giving her dirty looks if she catches their eye. In the last couple of months she's caught herself wishing, just a little bit, that she was just the same as they are. 

Then again, there's a lot of things she's wished for that she isn't going to get. 

She knows her purpose. It was drilled into her before she was even assigned here. She belongs to DJ Octavio and when he has need of her, she'll do as he commands - but really, is that all she gets? Is that all she's allowed...? It troubles her more than she can properly communicate to anyone, least of all her friends. 

"You're up late."

Zero's instincts yank her out of her musings and she whips her head around quickly, ready to defend herself before she realizes who that soft voice belongs to. She exhales when she spots Aura, leaning against the wall at the bottom of the staircase, and offers up a weary smile. 

"I can't sleep," she shrugs, folding the top of the wrapper down over her half-eaten granola bar. "Needed to stretch my legs. Sorry if I woke you up." 

Aura tilts her head a bit, a quiet hum barely audible. "Does this happen often?" She asks gently, stepping away from the wall. "Come on, I'll walk with you." 

Before Zero can protest, the octoling is at her side, and they keep step together down the hall. It's quiet for a while, save for those echoing footsteps, though Zero's never heard them doubled before and can't help but take notice of the difference. Not that it's relevant, she just needs something else to focus on besides the fact that she hasn't been alone with Aura since her last medical exam. 

"Is something troubling you?" Aura breaks the silence, as they reach the end of the hall, and Zero prepares to turn and walk back the other way in her familiar pattern. 

She shrugs, folding her hands behind her back and counting the tiles in her head. "Just thinking about the mission today." It isn't a lie, because she definitely keeps coming back to that. To the look she keeps seeing on that inkling boy's face, plastered on the back of her eyelids. 

_ Recognition _ .

It sounds completely asinine, there's no way it could be true. Maybe she just looks like someone he's seen before. So why is she so sure she's seen  _ him _ ? 

Neither of them say anything for another minute or two. They reach the other end of the hall again, and Zero turns on her heel automatically. Considering just how much she feels comfortable telling Aura. Aura, who has done nothing but assure her that she's there to help. There for Zero's benefit. Not to judge, not to penalize, just to observe and listen. 

She takes a deep breath. 

"That inkling I had to dispatch today." The pair of them had written up a report for Noemi about the encounter, after all. "I know it sounds stupid, but I think... I think he knew me." Just as she suspected, saying the words out loud just makes them seem even more idiotic. 

"I see."

Another deep breath. "I... I think. I feel like, maybe, weirdly, I kind of. Knew him, too? His face just looked so... familiar." She glances up at her walking partner expectantly as she struggles with the words, ready to get told off. 

Instead, Aura looks thoughtful. Hums. "I can look into it, gather some intel." There's no trace of condescension in her words, no insinuation that it's a ridiculous notion. "Were there any other concerns with this mission?" 

Not expecting to be validated like that, Zero opens her mouth to speak, closing it again when she realizes that all she has at the ready are arguments. It's very hard to argue against a rational response like that. 

"Uh," she says instead, very intelligent indeed. "N-no. No, I guess not." 

' _ Huh. That wasn't so bad _ ,' she thinks, feeling her hesitation ease back just the tiniest bit. They reach the end of the hallway again. She turns, again, and again Aura keeps pace with her. 

"...Can I...talk to you about something else?" Zero takes a chance, sheepishly peering up at her companion. Wondering if she's pushing her limits too far, toeing at the line and trying to find her boundaries.

The smile she catches in response makes her insides twist up, and she wonders if she should mention that. It seems... unhealthy. "Of course," Aura says. "Shall we take this somewhere a little more...private? Voices tend to carry in these halls." 

The inkling's angled ears perk up at the implications hidden in that question, her pulse faltering, but she shakes off the assumption quickly.

"Yeah, uh. Did you have somewhere in mind...?" Because as far as she knows, she's seen the entire base, and the mess hall doesn't seem much better. 

Aura nods. "Come along."

She follows obediently as the octoling leads her up the stairs, passing her door and instead heading toward the end of the hall. Another short staircase takes them to a door, opening up to a modest terrace. 

Outside. 

Aside from the field where they run drills, and her brief altercation with the inkling earlier, Zero can't remember the last time she was outside. It definitely hasn't been at night before. The cool air caresses her cheeks, makes her shiver a bit, but nothing unpleasant as she wanders wide-eyed toward the railing. 

She can't place the feeling welling up inside her, but whatever it is, it drowns out everything else. It's familiar and foreign, something she wants to cling to but can't stand to even think about caging in. When she tips her head back, her eyes grow wide at the sight of the panels on the dome ceiling. 

Normally, she sees them in the day - a rarely-changing backdrop of bright blue, with the occasional cloud drifting by. They show a deeper, rich navy now, dotted by pinpricks of light. Clusters, scattered across the panels, more numerous than she can count. The bioluminescence of her own constellation-spotted tentacles glows softly in response. 

"Wow," the inkling breathes, bringing her free hand up to cover her gaping mouth. 

Aura steps up beside her, perching on the railing and folding one leg over the other. Her palms smooth over the worn wood and that pupil-less golden gaze patiently watches the expression of awe grow across Subject Zero's face. Doing what she does best - observing. 

"What did you want to talk about?" She asks after a moment. 

Slowly, reluctantly, Zero stops trying to piece together constellations in the simulated night sky and drags her attention back to Aura. She's quiet for a beat or two, just staring. A thick swallow works her throat as she draws a complete and total blank on anything she'd had to say before. 

Insanely, all she can think about is how beautiful the octoling's eyes look in the starlight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, Jinx. Crushing on beautiful women you don't know very well isn't advised.
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated!


	7. Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some facts have to be faced.
> 
> Also, having Zuri for a best friend is either the best thing or the worst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Saturday everyone, I hope you've had a great week! With the Dreaded Holidays just around the corner, please be sure to take care of yourselves. <3
> 
> It should be said that nothing ~untoward~ happens in this chapter.
> 
> Enjoy!

_ Reality _

Somehow, they really do wind up in Aura's room. 

Specifically in her bed. 

An inkling, her hearts pounding against her chest, face warm, body tense and unsure - stretched out on the comfortably-sized mattress beside the octoling assigned to observe her habits like some kind of wild animal. Not here, though. Here, it feels so separate from the rest of the base. It's so much softer than her bunk, warmer. With her back to the wall and Aura's to the door, Zero can't help but think there's no safer place for her to be. 

She barely knows this woman, and still...

The way Zero stares, surely, must seem ridiculous. Taking the chance she's been given to admire, to maybe see more than just an elite Octarian officer. More than someone higher up on the food chain than she is. Someone who's taken to gently tracing fingertips dipped in gold up and down the length of her arm, the color blending against her own dark skin.

She takes a deep breath, focusing on the sensation of skin on skin - swearing somewhere, at some point, she's felt it before but unable to pinpoint when or where. It's like cool water against a dry throat, so satisfying and she wants greedily for more.

"Is this okay?" She whispers like someone caught in a scandal. 

A reassuring smile. "Do you want me to stop?" 

Zero shakes her head perhaps a bit too sharply, earning an amused sound from the octoling. 

"Did you remember what you wanted to talk about?"

The question lingers for a beat or two, gives Zero an opportunity to compose herself.

"I keep dreaming about...nothing, usually." She barely raises her voice above a murmur, lest she disrupt the peaceful quiet around them. "Just hallways and doors that don't go anywhere." Then again, it's all so familiar to her now that she's sure she'd be shaken by anything different.

Aura doesn't respond, leaves the floor open. So onward she marches.

"There's never anyone there." The confession is almost forlorn. Lonely. "Sometimes, I think I can hear someone singing to me from behind a door, but... when I open it, there's just more empty space."

Another pause before Aura speaks. "I wouldn't think too much on it," she suggests, ever pleasant as the pad of her thumb brushes the crease of Zero's elbow. "They are just dreams, after all. Though, if any more oddities crop up, I hope you'll let me know."

It seems almost anticlimactic, but the inkling supposes accepting it is all she can do. She holds so little, so few cards, and deferring to Aura would be the reasonable thing. She takes a deep breath, pressing her cheek against the pillow. 

"...It just. Makes it hard to sleep." Her tone grows sheepish, cheeks flushing with embarrassment. She turns her face further, starting to hide it in the pillowcase. "Don't wanna go back there. 'S'lonely." 

Before she can escape, a warm palm slips between her cheek and the pillow, carefully coaxing her away from her hiding place. Unsure russet eyes meet with bottomless gold and Zero's breath catches in her throat. 

"You need to rest," Aura tells her. "I’ll be here when you wake up." 

The sentiment is enough to form a knot in her throat, something difficult to swallow or speak around, though the inkling doesn't know if it's gratitude or something else. It sure is an emotion, and she doesn't want to try and place it. She just wants to sleep. As though reading her thoughts, Aura tugs the blankets up a bit and she wriggles to get a bit more comfortable. 

Between the inviting warmth and softness of the bed, the octoling, and the rhythmic stroke of fingertips against her arm, Zero slips easily into a dreamless sleep.

\---

Zuri all but throws a parade when she finds out the next morning. When Zero shows up in her usual half-awake state, sits down with her coffee and breakfast, and apologizes if she worried her friends by disappearing in the middle of the night. She doesn't think anything of it, saying she spent the night with Aura - doesn't think about the implications of that, far too tired to rub two brain cells together.

Much to her embarrassment when Zuri starts cheering loud enough for the whole room to hear over the general breakfast chatter. "Ooooohhhhhhhh, shit, Z, get some!" She laughs and slings an arm around Zero's narrow shoulders, jostling her and nearly spilling her coffee everywhere. 

A distressed gurgle rolls in the inkling's throat as the flush slowly creeps into her cheeks, even her ears starting to feel hot. "Zuri, oh my cod,  _ please-- _ " 

At the very least, her roommate lowers her voice to more hushed tones. "So, how was it? Was she good? Did she use the--" She makes a wiggling motion with one finger and Zero almost shoves her entire tray directly into the taller teen's face. 

" _ WeDidn'tDoAnything _ ," she hisses. "We slept, we just  _ slept _ , please just let me  _ live-- _ "

"Sooo..." Rika, thankfully, breaks into the conversation before the inkling gets harassed any further. "Why did you spend the night with her?" Her tone is tight and when Zero looks up at her, there's either confusion or mild disappointment scrawled across her face. 

She ducks out from Zuri's arm, finally able to take a drink from her coffee cup. It's already started to get cold. "I couldn't sleep," she says like she's told this story a hundred times. "I was out walking and she was just...there? I dunno." 

The pink-haired octoling's mouth presses into a thin line, brows knitting together in something like concern. "You know you can wake one of us up if you need to." 

Zero rolls her eyes, already starting to withdraw from what's clearly a scolding. She doesn't particularly want to get the third degree over this, like she's some child who needs the rules of a game explained to her. "Zuri sleeps like the dead and you're cranky if I bug you in the middle of the night. It's not a big deal, Rika, she's just nice and wanted to help--" 

"No,  _ we  _ want to help! I'm trying to look out for you," Rika cuts her off, palms pressing to the table as she gets to her feet. "Because you're just a dumb, naive little  _ inkling _ !"

Hearing those words doesn't bother her as much as she thinks it should, but she still sets her jaw and fixes her friend with a defiant look. "Wow, thanks Rika," she grumbles. "'Preciate that." 

"Oh, you  _ know  _ what I mean!" The octoling rolls her eyes, grabbing her tray. "I'm just saying, I warned you. Don't come crying to me when she fucks you over." 

She throws her garbage into the trash can much harder than necessary on her way out of the mess hall. 

Zero groans and nudges her cup away so she can rest her forehead on the table. She doesn't get it, doesn't understand what Rika's so upset about - she mentioned hearing rumors, but so far Aura has only been kind to her. Pleasant to others. What does her roommate know that she doesn't?

"Hey," Zuri rests a hand on the inkling's shoulder, giving her a gentle shake. "Don't worry too much about her. She'll be mad for a few hours and then she'll get over it - by the time we get back tonight, she'll be back to normal." 

A deep sigh escapes her lungs and she glances up at Zuri from the corner of her eye. "Why aren't you upset, too? Rika's acting like Aura ate a baby or something." After all, she and Rika seem to be excessively close with one another. Surely they must have similar views on this particular subject. 

The taller octoling shrugs. "None of my business, Z. You do who you wanna, I'm not your mom." When Zero's cheeks flush again, she grins. "Just, y'know. Be a little careful, that's all." 

Surely enough, when they return to their shared room that afternoon, Rika is back to her chatty self, like the morning never happened. They don't talk about Aura for the rest of the week, or the week after that, and an unspoken rule is born from it - the subject is off-limits for the sake of their friendship.

In fact, the only reminder that she ever spent the night with the octoling comes in the form of a new supplement - a Lieutenant who works in the infirmary knocks on their door every evening around the same time and offers her a pill that allows her to sleep peacefully, dreamlessly, through the night.

\---

Ame hasn't slept in weeks.

It's detrimental to so many aspects of his life - his performance in the Turf scene is starting to get sloppy, to the point where he's not paying attention to his surroundings and getting splatted before he can even hit the objective. His teammates are understanding at the very least, suggesting maybe he should take a break before the bags under his eyes take up permanent residence.

As if that isn't bad enough, his work for the NSS is only getting worse. While he was able to go back in and collect all the mini zapfish from the odd recreation of The Reef (without getting accosted by a stranger), he keeps making idiotic mistakes that cost him a respawn. He can tell the Squid Sisters are getting frustrated, not that he blames them. He's his own worst critic when it comes to things like this, things he knows he's good at. Things he  _ has  _ to be good at, for the good of everyone counting on him.

Knowing what the fallout entails, despite it all, he hasn't gotten a full night's sleep since that run-in with what he's positive was another inkling at the Suction-Cup Lookout. He finds himself getting up in the middle of the night when he's sick of rolling over and trying to find a comfortable position, sometimes just pacing around his room. Other times he slips on his shoes and favorite dark blue hoodie, and steps out into the chilly night air to roam Inkopolis Square.

Ame feels like an idiot for holding onto something like this. An enemy is an enemy, it shouldn't matter if it was an inkling. If it was, they were working with the Octarians, and the NSS is obligated to take them out. Even so, he can't help overthinking it. He hasn't mentioned to Marie and Callie yet what his theories are, not sure how they'll take it. If they'll shoot him down or be absolutely horrified. 

He thinks they already have the same idea, though.

As crazy as it is, he has the sinking feeling that it was his sister. 

It's an impossible thought, but in the fragmented bits of his dreams that he can remember, he relives that worryingly brief altercation. Each time, all he can see is Jinx's face, and it's been driving him absolutely mad - because if it isn't true, then where else could she possibly be? Worse, perhaps, if it  _ is  _ true...

If it's true, then what is he supposed to do about that? What's his next move? He sure as hell isn't going to hurt his own sister, the thought makes his stomach churn. He can't tell their family, who have been worried about Jinx for just as long as he has now; that would go over like a lead balloon, and what about Callie and Marie? 

Another month slips away, marking the fourth with no other explanation for Jinx's whereabouts besides the one he's been thinking about with every free second he's allowed. When he finally can't take it anymore, he decides to approach the Squid Sisters.

The three of them sit down for a lunch break one afternoon, after the fifth zapfish in Beaker's Depot has been secured - it doesn't miss Ame's attention that no one has brought up the octoling incident at all in the last several weeks. Marie scans over the report Sheldon provided after a bit of recon in the next dome, her brows knit together as though the information leaves a bad taste in her mouth, and Callie takes another bite of her Crusty Seanwich. 

Ame takes a deep breath, knowing there's no tactful way to breach the subject, so he may as well just go for it.

"So, what are the chances Jinx joined up with the Octarians by choice?"

Callie takes a breath so sharp she forgets she's supposed to be chewing, and part of her sandwich lodges in her throat. Her cousin reaches over automatically to start patting her on the back while she coughs and hacks, quickly clearing her airway and avoiding certain death, before she turns a cold stare toward their Agent 4. 

Marie opens her mouth to snap at him, to tell him how ridiculous that notion is. To scold him for even entertaining it. When she actually starts to think about it though, the seed of doubt is already sewn in her mind - and the idea that he may be onto something. She hates that, actually. She glances up at Callie, who's rubbing at her collar and still catching her breath, teeth worrying slightly at her lower lip.

The problem is, shortly before DJ Octavio disappeared from his snow globe, Agent 3 had come to them in complete distress over something he had said to her. Over the idea that maybe the NSS were not the heroes they painted themselves as. Of course, both Squid Sisters dismissed the silly thought and did what they could to soothe her worries, even as she was plagued by nightmares and her nagging conscience. 

The  _ problem is _ , Ame's suggestion is more than just possible - it's probable. It's  _ feasible _ . It's the closest thing to an explanation they have. 

Callie's brows knit together and her eyes fill with worry, bordering on terror. "No--" She breathes so softly that only Marie can hear her, bringing up a hand to cover her mouth. "No, she wouldn't. She wouldn't just--" 

"She would never leave willingly," Marie decides firmly, turning back to fix Ame with a hard stare. It's actually pretty irritating that he would even consider - how dare he assume that of Jinx? "Not without talking to me-- to  _ us _ , first." She really does try to keep work and her relationships separate. Really. Generally, she's very good at it. But this feels like a personal affront.

He knew that reaction was coming. Ame doesn't flinch though, doesn't back down. "You guys spent more time with her over the last couple of years than I did. If anyone would have an answer for where the hell she is, it would be you." Specifically, he trains his gaze on Marie, setting his jaw. "I don't want to rule anything out, even if I don't like it. She's my  _ sister _ . And I'm sick and cod-damn tired of not knowing where she is, if she's alive or not, and lying to our family about everything." 

Marie is about to open her mouth and unleash snark for the way he's looking at her, talking to her, like he's accusing  _ her  _ of not knowing, intrinsically, who Jinx is as a person - she's about to, but Callie slips into the conversation instead. It's probably for the best.

"Ame, look... We know how upset you must be. We're worried, too - you said it yourself, we've spent a lot of time with her in the last couple years! We love her, so much." She scoots over, even, catching the other agent's attention with a sympathetic smile. "There were definitely some, er.  _ Complications _ . Late last year." 

Retracting his proverbial claws, Ame's shoulders sink and he presses his palm on the ground, leaning back a little. At least Callie doesn't want to fight with him. "What kind of complications?" 

Callie sighs and folds her hands in her lap. She and Marie exchange glances. "DJ Octavio... got under Jinx's skin a little. He made a comment, said something that really bothered her. Maybe, if she really took it to heart, there's the teeniest tiniest chance that she'd have--" 

"She wouldn't," Marie interrupts sharply, her gaze lingering on her cousin who should know better. "She would have come to one of us and talked about it first." 

"Back up--" Ame pinches the bridge of his nose. He’s so unbelievably tired. "What did Octavio  _ say _ , exactly?"

There's another pause.

"...He told her she was killing innocent Octarians," Callie says softly. "By taking back the zapfish." 

Ame stares at the Squid Sisters for a long time. He's not sure how much time passes in which the only sounds are the occasional bird passing overhead and the gentle breeze through the canyon - he's too busy imagining someone telling his sister, whose personality consists at least half of helping other people, that she was  _ hurting  _ them instead. Picturing the look of horror on her face when she heard it presented like an absolute truth.

He purses his lips, his stomach twisting up as the pieces fall into place - forming an image that all three of them never wanted to see. 

"We need to get back down there," he concludes. "That's where we'll find Jinx."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OooooOOoOooooOO where are we going?? 
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated~!


	8. Recall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things don't always go according to plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, I hope you had a great week! 
> 
> With this update and some unsavory things going on though, I'm considering moving my stuff to a different fanfiction platform. What do y'all think? I would post all the chapters of this (so far) there and then continue posting there. I've already got everything up to date on my toyhouse, but that isn't exactly the best platform for getting fanfiction seen. I would love to get your thoughts!
> 
> With that out of the way, here is a chapter full of revelations!

_ Recall _

Zero was fully prepared to meet the Lieutenant Colonel in charge of the day's assignment at least a week in advance. From the grapevine gossip she was able to coax out of Rika, the officer - Lena Elapho - had recently been transferred to Cephalon HQ because of the inkling menace that was starting to make ground. They needed more hands on deck, ready on the very slim chance DJ Octavio's plan didn't work. 

"Very slim," Rika says with a sweet smile and a twinkle in her eye that Zero can't quite read, "because Octavio's  _ secret weapon _ is gonna rip that brat a new one." 

At any rate, she had been briefed and prepped, and on the morning of the mission she arrives earlier than she's asked to - if only for the raw excitement to get out and away from the base for a while. Still, she can't say she expected to step inside and be greeted with such a mass of tentacles. 

The octoling is  _ tall _ . Zero steps back just a fraction at the sight of her, standing more than a foot higher than herself. The tallest octoling she's ever seen, with cool umber skin tones and dull grey eyes that can't help but look down on her. Her shoulders slouch just the slightest bit forward, like she's used to having to bend over for people. 

Or maybe it's from the weight of her tentacles, a blanket of them sweeping down past her hips. 

Zero can't stop staring, barely catching the sideways glance she gets when the elite notices. Those eyes don't linger on her long, though. At the very least, the officer's size doesn't make her terribly intimidating - not to Zero. It almost feels like standing in the presence of someone she's known her entire life, safe and reliable. Despite the obvious kelp trailing from the frames of her shades, marking her high rank.

"Subject Zero, you weren't told to report early." Colonel Tokaal breaks the stasis and Zero jolts, just realizing that her commanding officer had slipped into the room behind her. "Schedules exist for a reason." 

Zero nods. "Yes, Ma'am," she says quickly. "Sorry, Ma'am." 

Noemi shakes her head in mild disapproval, not that she expects perfect behavior from an inkling, as she occupies the spot behind her desk and shuffles through some papers. She tucks a stack together neatly and sets it back down again.

"Subject Zero will be assigned to your team today, Lieutenant Colonel. The last medical exam cleared the subject to head into the field, and it'll prove very useful if previous reports are any indication." The Colonel speaks directly to the room's only other occupant, who can only be Lena Elapho, passing over a very familiar object that Zero's gaze hones in on. "Use the hypnoshades if necessary to ensure the subject's complete cooperation." 

With a side glance at the inkling, whose eyes are glued to the remote control being slipped into the taller woman's hand, she adds-- "Subject  _ has  _ been behaving better than expected, but precautions are required." 

The elite officer stares down at the object in her hand for a beat or two before pocketing it. The nonchalance with which she says "Okay" makes something in Noemi's jaw twitch. 

"The enemy is expected to drop in the Moray Towers dome. We have a team of soldiers there already, but given how quickly the zapfish are being captured I would recommend getting a move on." Noemi hands Lena a folder. "Report back as soon as possible."

It's a bit of a whirlwind from there. The trip to the Slimeskin Garrison isn't nearly as long as it took to get to Suction-Cup Lookout, but it's enough time for Subject Zero to learn... well, absolutely nothing about her commanding officer. Granted, it's not really any of her business - her superiors are just that, and she's expected to respect them. She just can't help her natural curiosity, and even Zuri and Rika don't have anything on the elite. 

Staring at Lena doesn't yield her any response at all, so she scraps that plan quickly. By the time she's decided to actually try talking to the octoling, Zuri and Rika are watching the scene unfold intently from across the aisle. 

"Where were you assigned here from?" She asks, shifting along with the slight rocking of the train. 

Lena glances down at the large russet eyes watching her, shining with curiosity, and says "The Border."

It's silent for a moment, save for the creaking of metal around them. Zero pretends not to notice Zuri stifling a laugh with her fist. The inkling holds out her hand instead.

"I'm Zero. It's nice to officially meet you, Lieutenant Colonel Elapho." 

It's torturous how long that hangs before the octoling responds. "Lena," she says at last, offering not a hand, but instead a tentacle that plops into Zero's waiting palm and curls idly around it.

Zero's gaze immediately drops to the tentacle, completely unprepared to be holding it, sitting utterly still as she tries to come up with an appropriate response. Commanding officer. Professional. Formal. 

Is it her imagination, or is there just the tiniest quirk to Lena's mouth?

"Thank you," she lands on, awkwardly giving the tentacle a little squeeze before it's pulled away. 

They travel in silence after the fact, save for the gentle wheezing of a certain Private Visana, tearing up as she tries so hard not to burst out laughing. Zero half-glares at her. 

Once they arrive, it's very clear that things are already working out of their favor. Zero was told two Octosnipers had been stationed between the towers, an added deterrent to go with the octoling soldiers - but as she observes the battlefield, neither of them are anywhere in sight. There is a concerning amount of ink that can only belong to the enemy, a soft minty green that pools in the center of the arena and stains walls where soldiers must have been prior.

Zuri kneels, peering over the edge of the rooftop with her slosher at her side. "Rika, you see him?" 

Already lining up the sights of her charger, the pink-haired octoling clicks off the safety and curls her finger patiently against the trigger. "Yeah." She spots the NSS agent making his way to the final mini zapfish, and takes aim. "I'll take him out. Zero, be ready when he respawns." 

The inkling pulls her hypnoshades down, keying into the frequency of the dome around them. The map lays out in the corner of the lens and she crouches, readying herself for a superjump. 

They work as a well-oiled machine, for as often as they've practiced together. Rika's shot connects before the enemy can break the glass, a direct hit that shatters his armor and leaves his defenses down. She charges up and takes a secondary shot while he's disoriented, one that cracks his ink shell with a satisfying 'splat.' Zero doesn't wait for the follow-up command, shifting her form and launching directly from one tower to the other - landing on her feet just as the respawn point flares to life. 

It's only a moment but it feels like hours - after the ink forms into the inkling trying to steal their power source, Zero watches him. Watches him stare at her, watches the way his dark teal eyes widen, the way his pupils constrict. The way the blaster in his hands almost slips to the ground and he looks at her with an emotion she can't place.

"Jinx?" 

He says the word like it should mean something to her. Like it means something to him, and she clicks her teeth at him in response.

She moves quickly, grabbing a splat bomb from the ink tank strapped to her back and rolling it toward him. He retreats immediately and it gives her time to drop back off the edge of the tower, landing in an ink puddle and swimming to the next ledge.

Predictably, after he shakes off the shocks from the bomb, he follows after her - what she doesn't get is why he keeps trying to  _ talk  _ to her. Maybe other inklings are just chatty? Zero doesn't know, and it doesn't matter. She's going to destroy him before he can cause any more problems. 

Through the map in her shades, she can see a little blip to represent Rika guarding the last mini zapfish. Another for Zuri, waiting in the ink at the base of the opposite ramp. The third drops down from the tower and moves toward her as she backtracks toward the center of the arena. 

She slips around the other inkling, his ink trail sloppy and leaving places for her to slip through - is this really the guy who's been giving them so much trouble? He hasn't even taken a shot at her yet. More's the pity for him. Zero reforms a few feet behind him, firing ink bullets at his back. 

The agent pivots before they can collide and instead gets some ink damage to his shoulder, wincing as he lifts up his blaster. "Jinx, come on, it's  _ me-- _ !" He keeps talking despite it, and she wonders if he's actually going to fight her. Even with his weapon brandished, his stance says nothing about taking aim. "It's Ame! I'm here to take you home!"

" _ Stop calling me that _ !" She snaps back in Octarian, rolling her eyes when he looks taken aback - but if he isn't going to fight, she's not going to just let him walk away. Zero opens fire, strafing to avoid the shot from his blaster and breaking to disappear into her ink. 

It's less of a firefight and more of a wild goose chase around the arena. Her opponent narrowly dodges Rika's snipe shots from above while trying to avoid the closer threat of Zero's weapon. They dance around each other like that for much longer than necessary until a charger shot forces the agent into a corner. 

Zero steps in front of him, blocking his exit and pulling a splat bomb from her ink tank. She's just about to throw it straight in his face when the dome's ceiling begins to flicker.

Outages are standard. They've grown more frequent as the inkling threat looms ever closer, but it's never happened while she's in the field before - just as Zero is about to go in for the attack, suddenly the screen on the inside of her hypnoshades flickers. Kicks off. Around her, the simulated twilight ceiling shuts down and they're all plunged into pitch darkness - the only light source is that single mini zapfish, squirming in its bulb near the top of the tower. 

So close to victory, it's infuriating. Especially when the command comes through her earpiece: "All units fall back!" 

She hears the voice of the inkling calling out through the dark, even the night vision function on her glasses gone with the power out. A downfall of the technology being connected to the domes, though still something she hasn't been prepared for. She hears him, yelling out that name over and over again, the one that means nothing to her -  _ Jinx  _ \- and it makes her ink boil. 

"Yo, Z!" Zuri comes through over the radio. "Let's go, you heard 'em, we gotta get outta here so they can reset!" 

For the first time in her life - as far back as she can remember, for whatever that's worth - Zero considers it more of a friendly suggestion than an outright command. It's unlike her, she's been on her best behavior for so long, never questioning orders or breaking any major rules. Here and now, she has an advantage, has an opportunity to put an end to this inkling menace. 

Something inside of her, some growing compulsion goads her to take the chance.

"Zero? Do you copy?"

She turns off her radio and lifts the hypnoshades away from her face, letting her eyes adjust. It may not be as clear, but she can make out shapes in the dark and even see in greyscale for a few yards ahead - it's good enough for her to spray an ink trail and dive in. 

Zero listens for her opponent, not difficult considering he keeps calling out for whoever he thinks she is, and it doesn't take her long to sneak up behind him. Reforming from the ink, she shoves the barrel of her octoshot into his lower back and pulls the trigger.

_ CRACK _ .

The weak armor shatters and with a warbled cry of pain he whirls around to face her, luminous eyes staring directly through her. This time though, he doesn't hesitate to hoist up his blaster and fire off a shot. But Zero is known for her speed, disappearing back into the puddle and following it across the center of the arena before she pops up again. 

"Jinx,  _ please _ ," he calls out past the crackle of his armor fighting to regenerate. "You don't want to do this!" 

It's odd, how every word out of his mouth just vexes her further. Her boots scuff against the pavement as she moves in again, strafing when she hears another blaster shot 'pop' to her left and barreling into him with her shoulder. He's a good six inches taller than her and she's able to knock him off balance, sending him staggering and giving her a chance to duck down and sweep his legs out from beneath him. 

The inkling agent hits the ground with a winded grunt, the blaster clattering to the ground beside him - and Zero immediately stands above him, shoving her boot down into the center of his chest and aiming her octoshot in his face. 

She  _ hates  _ the way he's looking at her. Time to put an end to that.

Just as she's about to fire, a rogue ink shot stings her wrist and sends the octoshot crashing to the pavement. Zero hisses and darts back for it, fingers curling around the handle as her gaze flits around for a source - there. At the second ledge just beneath the respawn pad, there’s an inkling crouched and aiming a charger at her. 

"Agent 4, I'll cover you!" She shouts, as her companion's armor finally reforms and he grabs his weapon. "Get that zapfish!" 

A snarl tears out of Subject Zero's throat and she shifts her weight, ready to spring forward and take on both of them when she's jerked backward by one reflective strap. Before she can whip around and throw a punch, something knocks into the side of her head - hard - and the world around her fades to black.

  
Ame can handle fighting his sister. He's been  _ sure  _ he can, since the day they came to terms with the fact that he would probably have to - but so much time had passed between then and now, he supposes he just. Hoped it would never have to come to that. 

This person, this inkling, this...  _ animal  _ he's facing off against? This isn't his sister. Her movements are quick and he's not fast enough to keep up with her, even if he wants to be - she's in and out of her own ink trails, circling around him and making him dizzy with just the effort it takes to dodge. 

Maybe it's his exhaustion, maybe it's not having enough time to process the reality of it, but when her shot destroys his armor and she has him on the ground, Ame is sure he's about to die. When his swimming vision clears up and he can see her, see Jinx, the girl he's known all her life, she's pointing her weapon right between his eyes. 

Before she can take him out, a shot of lime-green ink knocks the weapon from her hand. Marie, who has had absolutely enough of shouting orders at him that he's ignored the entire time, perches upon the ledge of one tower, half-glaring at him through the dark. 

The rest is something of a blur as he tries to collect himself. Ame gets to his feet, ready to try and at least get past the former Agent 3 until reinforcements appear at her side. When he starts to move in, a wave of ink that he very narrowly dodges crashes across his path. A slosher. He can see the bead of Marie's charger trained on a target, but it keeps moving and he can only assume she's contending with another enemy.

Somewhere in the chaos, he hears carbon fiber collide with cartilage. 

Marie fires off another charger shot and swears under her breath when she misses, the two octolings already out of her visual range. The unmistakable sound of a launching superjump, and finally the awful crunch of a critical shot landing. 

Agent 4 doesn't respawn.

\---

The train ride back to base is horribly quiet. Zero's temple throbs occasionally where the butt of Rika's charger knocked into it and every time she feels it, she shoots a betrayed look at her friend. The octoling just shrugs at her, sort of an apology but mostly just an implication that she should have backed off when the command came through. She doesn't make eye contact with Zuri at all. 

Lena doesn't say a word either, and if she's being honest, Zero doesn't want to try and engage. She knows she messed up. Her head hurts and her mind is foggy, but she knows she did something wrong. 

Louder than that is the echo of the enemy inkling's voice still ringing in her ears. The name he kept calling her. Over and over again she hears it, and there's something almost dangerous that prickles behind her eyes as it plays on repeat. Like it's something she isn't supposed to have heard. Something she knows, but she doesn't know why. 

_ Jinx _ . 

It sounds like something she heard in a memory of a fever dream, a hundred years ago. If she's not thrown to the wolves for the way the mission went, she wonders if she can ask Aura about it. 

Aura probably knows - Aura always just...  _ knows  _ things.

They arrive back at base and Lena dismisses them in short order, leaving to file her report with Colonel Tokaal. Zuri, Rika, and Zero are left to their own devices for the afternoon - and predictably, the inkling decides to make herself scarce. 

"I'm gonna go see if Aura's around," she offers sheepishly, sliding the hypnoshades back over her eyes. The fluorescents in the hallway aggravate her headache. "I'll... catch up with you guys later for dinner?" 

Rika's jaw tightens a little but she nods, leaning in and pressing a kiss to the discoloration on Zero's temple. "Don't be long." She doesn't sound pleased, but she also isn't irritated so the inkling counts it as a win. 

Zuri rests a hand on her head and ruffles up her fringe as she passes. "Stay outta trouble, think you got in enough of that today!" She laughs, catching up with Rika, and the pair disappear down the hall. 

For a few minutes, Zero just stands there, lingering at the bottom of the stairs and gazing down the corridor long after her friends are gone. She's not sure why her brain feels so soupy, why dread hasn't had time to really settle in and make her worry for how her debriefing is going to go. It's just that soldier. That agent, that  _ inkling _ . 

Against her better judgement, she digs through her mind to see if she can find anything pertinent. Something that would explain why she's so hung up on this, why as the minutes pass by she only becomes more obsessed with finding out the meaning behind it. What was it he said his name was--? 

_ Ame _ . 

She absently rubs at her temple. Why did Rika have to smack her so hard? The ache still hasn't subsided. In fact, if she didn't know better, she'd think it was getting worse. Spreading. 

_ His name is Ame.  _

Ame. Jinx. These two things just sound so horribly, painfully familiar to her the more she jumbles them up in her head. Something about his voice, his eyes, the way he looked at her that made her want to splat him so badly--

"Zero?" 

The gentle hand that rests on her shoulder drags her reluctantly from her train of thought and into reality, where it feels like someone's driving a knife into her forehead. She winces and looks up into concerned golden eyes, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself back down. 

"Can I talk to you?" She blurts out immediately. "Uhm. Hi, also. I'm back." 

Aura effortlessly stifles the softest laugh. "I see," she teases, oh so lightly. "Of course. Shall we?" She gestures toward the stairs. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is going to be particularly un-fun.


	9. React

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marie takes a moment to herself, to reflect. 
> 
> Subject Zero might try to do the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's officially Saturday on the East Coast, and I've been looking forward to posting this chapter ever since I wrote it if I'm honest. 
> 
> I hope you all had a wonderful week <3 Thank you for the lovely comments last chapter!!

_ React _

Moray Towers after sunset is more stunning than people give it credit for. 

Marie ventures out to the arena that night, when she finds it difficult to sleep - an issue she surprisingly hasn't dealt with through this entire debacle. She bypasses the light security detail, lowering her face mask just enough to show off the undeniable features of a Squid Sister to the jellyfish watching the gate, and superjumps to the top of one of the towers. 

When Moray shuts down for the night and all the lights go out, it's one of the most perfect places to stargaze in all of Inkopolis. She likes to come here now and again, when she's struggling to collect her thoughts - a rare occasion, of course, but it's been known to happen from time to time. 

Like now, after a would-be confrontation with Agent 3. 

With  _ Jinx _ . 

When she's by herself, Marie gives in a little. She relents. She sits just beyond the respawn platform - arms folded and resting against the middle railing, feet dangling off the ledge - and she thinks about things that she's not allowed to around other people.

Things like how much she misses Jinx. How badly it stung to catch barely a glimpse of her through the darkness that afternoon, hear her snarl in a language she isn't supposed to know, and have to shoot at her like she was just another Octarian  _ slob _ . Through all of it, the Salmonid egg cherry on top of a sludge sundae, she's got her girlfriend's older brother convinced that she doesn't have a single emotion in her whole body.

If only that were true, she supposes things -  _ everything  _ \- would be so much simpler. 

Just shy of two years - that's how long she and Jinx had been together before her girlfriend disappeared. What should have been their second anniversary had already passed miserably some time in the last six months. But there's no time to mourn when you're a pop sensation, news caster, and all-around big name celebrity in inkling society, so Marie had spent the day like any other. No candles were lit, no hot bath; she went to bed by herself that night. Just like every night since.

Marie had been unsure about it when, one year ago, Jinx said the dreaded words - 'I love you.' She'd explained it as gently as she could, maintained what they had, asked for more time to work out her own feelings. It made sense to her. What she didn't account for were... mishaps, like the one they're currently facing. She gazes out over the city now and shifts her shoulders against the dull ache in her chest, the pain of regret - of thinking she had more time and then having the future pulled out from underneath her. 

When she lifts her head, all she can see is a blanket of stars against a navy canvas of sky. It soothes her weary soul a little to trace the constellations in her mind, following the flow of the Milky Way with practiced ease. Stargazing has been a comfort of hers ever since she and Callie were children, sprawled out in the grass with their heads close together, daydreaming and making wishes on every star. They don't do it nearly as much anymore, not with each other.

In fact, the last person to sit atop that very tower and count the constellations with her was Jinx. Marie can remember every detail perfectly - sitting with her girlfriend's head in her lap, talking about light-hearted and simple things, naming shapes in the sky. Learning the smaller things about each other, swapping embarrassing childhood stories. 

She remembers watching the shifting bioluminescence of Jinx's tentacles. Specifically, the scattered tiny freckles between the larger spots. She remembers getting caught staring instead of gazing at the sky, and the confused tilt of her partner's head in turn. 

Marie can vividly recall thinking that Jinx must be holding galaxies inside of her, but being far too embarrassed by the idea to say it out loud. Instead, she leaned down and kissed the girl's forehead and assured her that it was nothing. 

How content they were, then. 

How  _ awful  _ things are now, by comparison. 

The idol takes a deep, slow breath - in through the nose, out through the mouth - and she doesn't cry. 

She absolutely, one-hundred percent does not cry. 

Her vision just gets a little blurry, just for a moment, and she tips her head back and takes another deep breath. Swallows past the growing lump in her throat, tells herself to calm down.

She can't change the past. There's no sense in thinking about it that way. All she can do is move forward, and hope for better things for the future. Hope that someday, soon, she'll be able to hold Jinx in her arms and make her laugh, make her smile. Tell her that ridiculous idea, that she holds galaxies inside her, and watch the way she shines in response.

Marie waits for her eyes to dry before heading home again.

\---

[ _ Text from: Callie Cuttlefish _ ]

[Callie]: heeeeyyyy wassup!

[Callie]: can u bail 2day? marie wants 2 pick up pace

[Ame]: we have a tournament coming up next weeke

[ _ Message deleted. _ ]

[Ame]: my team is really starting to get irritated with all the secre

[ _ Message deleted. _ ]

[Ame]: marie could text me herself if she really want

[ _ Message deleted. _ ]

[Ame]: sure. name a time and i'll be there.

\---

Zero has no idea what to do with the emotion burning inside of her.

It's the briefest moments of blindness accompanied by fierce compulsions to destroy everything around her, coming and going with terrifying frequency. She throws a punch at the wall in her room, doing little as far as wounding the structure goes but benefiting from the pain that shoots up her arm. The sudden sharpness of it, the dull throbbing ache it ebbs back into, pulls her back into herself long enough for her to breathe. To think about the events that lead her to this.

After the chewing out of a lifetime, one she stood through with a clenched jaw and fists squeezed tightly at her sides, the punishment finally came down to 'house arrest.' Whatever slack she managed to earn for herself over the last six months is to be pulled taut - she's not to go anywhere without supervision anymore, not even to the mess hall. She isn't allowed outside except in the training field, and to make matters worse, they add a  _ collar  _ to her leash.

It's just a simple black band, a choker with a tracking device in it that she's under strict orders not to remove, but its newfound presence is too apparent, too obvious against her skin and she wishes she could rip it off.

She wants to yell at the top of her lungs. She wants to kick and scream and gnash her teeth together, hit something (again) or someone, anything to get out the pent-up energy inside of her. All because she had to go and pull a stupid move like insubordination. At least she only rests her forehead against the wall when she tries to take some deep breaths, instead of bashing her head into it like she's compelled to do. 

When it seems the worst of the storm has passed, Aura - who's been standing in the doorway and observing the entire time - steps away from the wall and toward her charge with intention. With her patient gaze and her soft voice, and a hand that reaches out to touch the inkling's shoulder despite the way tense muscle twitches in response. She waits for just a moment before finally breaking the silence.

"Zero, it would help if I knew what you were feeling." 

It's so redundant, the inkling wants to turn and snap at her. She barely manages not to, keeping her forehead pressed into the wall with determination. "I'm  _ angry _ ," the growl rolls out through clenched teeth. "What does it _ look like _ ?" She knows she shouldn't be speaking to Aura like this, but there's so much pressure inside of her and she doesn't know what she'll do if she can't expel some of it. 

To her credit, the octoling isn't deterred. "Yes, I can see that," she assures, smoothing her palm toward the back of Zero's neck instead. "Do you know why you're angry?" 

Another obvious answer. "Because if they'd just given me a  _ chance _ , I would have reclaimed the zapfish!" She hisses. "I was  _ so close _ , I almost had him--"

"But?" Aura prompts.

Shrugging the hand away from her shoulder, something she's never done in the few months they've known each other, the inkling huffs and starts back up with the pacing. She hates that, hates it, the way that single word lingers, a barely-cloaked accusation. A reminder that she messed up, she slipped, she took a calculated risk and it cost her any wiggle room she had. 

Zero's skin feels too hot. She nearly rips the zipper of her jacket tugging it down, chucks the thing onto her bed and reaches up automatically for the choker around her neck - catching herself before she can tear it off. 

"--but he-- but that  _ sniper _ , and Rika--" Stringing words together only gets more difficult as she moves, one side of the room to the other, stopping only once or twice to throw another punch at a wall. "--And who the hell is  _ Jinx _ ?!" 

When she whirls around again to face the octoling, she can feel the color pooling in her cheeks, the raw intensity of emotion bundling up in her throat and threatening to choke her as anger and rage join in. It's a potent cocktail of feelings that she doesn't know how to shove a cork onto. Aura’s patient expression never changes in the face of her anger.

"Who is he?!" She demands information that she doesn't even know if Aura has or not. It doesn't matter, she doesn't care - in the wake of being so thoroughly reprimanded, all she wants is to be disobedient and loud. "Who the  _ fuck  _ is he and why did he keep calling me that?! You have to know, you know everything, you  _ have  _ to--!" 

Before Aura can answer, she finds words keep spilling out of her mouth. She hears her voice starting to crack, to waver, as she tries to get out every jumbled thought stirring in her agitated mind. It doesn’t matter if it makes sense along the way - and it definitely  _ doesn’t. _

"Jinx," Zero repeats the name like it's a foul word, pushing her fringe away from her forehead and tugging at the tentacles. " _ Jinx _ , that's so--! He didn't. He  _ doesn't _ . Do I  _ know him _ ?!" One hand still gripping at her head while she rests the other on her hip. Pacing, always pacing, back and forth like she's getting claustrophobic in a cramped space. 

It's a feedback loop. A constant noise on repeat in her brain, just like the endless reruns of  _ Ame, Jinx, Ame, Jinx, Ame _ from earlier that day - only this time it's  _ do I know him? Of course not. But do I? No, no. Right? _ Her head feels so swollen as every attempt to reason around the screaming results in a roadblock, a shock akin to muscle memory stopping the train on its track. It's giving her a migraine, and before she knows what's happening she feels something hot and wet running down her cheeks. 

Zero hears a sob heave out of a chest before she makes the connection that the noise came from her, tries to take a deep breath but it gets caught in her throat. Her vision swims as tears well up, spilling over with morbid enthusiasm faster than she can wipe them away, and she doesn't want to do this. She doesn't want to cry, she wants to be livid, to point blame at anyone else but herself, when she knows it's all her fault. 

She's the one who broke the rules. 

She's the one who disobeyed direct orders. 

_ She  _ compromised the mission, she did that all on her own, and she cost them the precious power source that was the juvenile zapfish. 

When she looks back up at Aura, standing there looking patient and unobtrusive as ever, she feels as though no one in the history of civilization has ever been as horrible and selfish as she was that day - and while it's the last thing she feels deserving of, when she steps a little closer, the octoling draws her in and lets her break down in the safety of her arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback, theories, even grievances are all greatly appreciated~ Let me know how we're feeling, crew!


	10. Realign

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ame is tired. Marie has had enough. 
> 
> Zero is missing something important.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having a rough weekend, so I decided to upload two for one this week. Hope you guys like it. <3

_ Realign _

_ "Ame, are you and sissy coming home soon?" _

A chorus of agreements layer over each other, five little voices that all hold such implicit trust in their big brother's words. In his actions. In him, when he tells them constantly that he and Jinx are very busy right now. When he promises that they'll be home for Squidmas, no matter what it takes, even if he doesn't actually know how well he can keep that promise. 

The bi-weekly video calls always leave Ame with a dull ache in his chest. 

"C'mon guys, I told you," he says gently, like he's teasing them for forgetting. "Jinx and I have a lot to do, so we'll be able to spend as much time as possible with you when we come back. Just be patient for me a little bit longer, okay?" 

It's even worse when he doesn't have Jinx there to back him up, to prove that she's still there. On more than one occasion, he's had the insane thought to be upset with her. Seeing her, though, it was so obvious that nothing she did was by choice. It couldn't have been. 

No words could ever describe the feeling of someone you love looking at you without a drop of recognition in their eyes. Something was very, very wrong, and Ame has been agonizing himself over it for the last 48 hours. 

The conversation doesn't go on much longer before their father comes in and cuts it short, rounding up the kiddos for dinner. Ame speaks with him briefly too, still smiling like nothing's amiss, dismissing any concerns about how tired he looks. 

"We're fine out here Dad," he assures. "I'll talk to you in a couple weeks." 

He hangs up and drops his phone carelessly onto the coffee table, scrubbing his palms over his face and trying to take a deep breath. Tired, tired, he's so tired. His brain is fried from weeks of trying to make sense of it all, trying to understand how and why and where - trying to put everything together so that it fits into a solution. 

In the midst of his miserable musing, he barely notices Callie lean on the back of the couch where he's perched. 

"I'm sorry you have to keep lying to them," the idol says quietly, her tone genuine and apologetic. She offers him a mug with steaming contents.

Ame starts a bit, lifting his head from his hands and blinking wearily over his shoulder at her. "No... it's fine. That's not your problem." Gratefully, he accepts the mug and takes as long a sip as his mouth can handle - the taste of coffee coupled with the scalding heat helps. Marginally. He's never been a coffee person, but he's ashamed of how much caffeine he's ingested in the past few months. 

"Still." Callie comes around, setting her own mug on the coffee table beside Ame's discarded phone and sitting next to him. "I won't lie, we really expected this to be. Uh. Quicker." 

Rolling his eyes, the taller inkling sighs and lifts the mug to his mouth again. "Yeah, well. We're all busy." He speaks into the mug when he says, "At least you give a shit." 

They both know exactly what he means. Callie glances up, craning her neck to see if there's anyone else in the apartment besides the two of them. "Don't say that!" She doesn't scold him, there'd be no use, but she's been doing her best to mediate and she would be remiss not to keep trying. "She cares. She really does. It's just...different, for her." 

"Callie, come on--" Ame doesn't bother to keep his voice down, doesn't try to fight the cynicism in his tone. "You've gotta stop making excuses for her. She'd rather get the zapfish back - of which we have a really good lead on, by the way - than go after Jinx when she was right there." 

"I'm not making excuses!" Callie's brow furrows, and she almost glares at him. It would be hilarious if he weren't so frustrated, not an expression that really works for her. "I know her better than anyone, and I've seen her with Jinx. She cares about her more than you think--"

_ SLAM _ .

No one thought to check the bedroom door. When it swings open and hits the wall, both Callie and Ame jerk around in surprise to see Marie standing there - looking absolutely furious. 

Callie immediately gets up off the couch and grabs her coffee mug, skittering toward the kitchen because she wants absolutely no part in what's about to go down. Ame, to his credit, doesn't move. 

"I've about had it with you," Marie starts in without any preamble. It's the first time she's ever seemed vulnerable, a crack forming in her impenetrable armor. If looks could kill, she'd have sniped Ame a hundred times over in that first minute. She folds her arms tight across her chest, not budging from the doorway.

Ame snorts derisively, half-empty mug hitting the coffee table perhaps a bit too heavily. "Please, do tell," he shoots back. "Tell me how the main goal here isn't to pull my sister out of the mess that she's only in because your grandfather dragged her into a war that wasn't hers to fight! I'm listening, intently!" 

"It's  _ not _ ." She's tried to be nice about his attitude problem. She really, truly has - but even Marie has her breaking point, and she's had as much as she can take. Amber eyes continue to bore through him like daggers. "The main goal is to get back the most important power source for the city, and to protect Inkopolis from a complete Octarian takeover." 

Agent 4 is on his feet for that. "I can't  _ believe  _ you--"

" _ Your sister _ understood that better than anyone I've ever known," Marie continues, cutting him off at the pass and barely raising her voice. She doesn't have to - she knows how to speak with authority. "There has  _ never  _ been a better NSS agent than Agent 3, and there never will be - and it especially will  _ not  _ be you, letting your emotions control how you act in the field." 

The scalding glare Ame fires back at her would crumple a lesser inkling. "How fucking dare you--" 

" _ I'm not finished _ ." Marie snaps with such venom, he physically recoils - a surge of cynical pride fills her at the sight. She unfolds her arms as she takes a step toward him. "I have absolutely  _ no  _ need to defend myself to you, especially if Jinx didn't tell you about our relationship in the first place."

Ame keeps opening his mouth to retort, but words die on his tongue. Not for a lack of them, but for the fact they keep tripping over each other in his head and he can't get a hold on the right ones. 

"I  _ know  _ how I feel about her." Her tone remains strong and confident. "More importantly, so does Jinx. This is the last time I ever want to hear you accuse me of  _ not giving a shit _ ." 

For all the things he's so sure he wanted to say a moment ago, there's nothing that could argue with that. No matter what Ame may feel about the rest of her 'argument,' if he could even call it that, the truth remains that he never even knew about the relationship between Marie and his sister. He wasn't allowed that information, Jinx hadn't wanted him involved. 

It doesn't cool him off any, a fact he makes clear in the scalding glare he keeps fixed on her, even as she nods toward the front door. 

"Door's there. I suggest you use it." 

No matter how badly he doesn't want to, Ame grabs his phone off the coffee table and storms out in a huff - he slams the door behind him. 

The apartment falls silent for a moment before Marie exhales, moves over to the couch and all-but drops herself onto it. Thoroughly exhausted, both emotionally and physically, she's more than prepared to spend the afternoon napping - she may as well, since she bailed on a photoshoot to head back to Octo Canyon, a trip that definitely is getting postponed. 

"I think that went well," Callie breaks the silence, finally coming back from the kitchen. Marie doesn't look up, but she can hear her cousin moving into the living room and in a moment her feet are lifted up, then draped over the other girl's lap. 

"Are you gonna tell me I was too harsh?" 

Callie doesn't let a pause linger. "Nah. I think Ame just... really needed to hear that. Specifically, from you." 

He'll be back. They both know it. There's no way he's just going to walk away from the only link he has to rescuing his sister. It's just a matter of waiting. Marie sighs deeply and massages a few fingers against her temple, fighting off a budding headache with the realization that she's going to have to rework her schedule again to make up for this roadblock.

Before she can let the train of thought get too wild, Callie pats her knee and softly says, "I'm proud of you."

Marie offers her a weary little smile in return.

\---

Subject Zero's head hurts.

This isn't new. It's not like headaches are a mysterious mistress, something she's never dealt with before - quite the contrary, because before Aura arrived they were pretty consistent. Every day, varying in strength, but the point remained that headaches had become something of an uninvited house guest in her skull. As she stirs from her slumber, though, a sharp throb of pain pulses behind her eyes for the first time in awhile and she isn't prepared.

A low groan rolls in her throat and the inkling turns her face just a little, hiding against the pillow and fighting consciousness. The gentle pressure between her shoulder blades is nice, what feels like circular motions that she recognizes as fingertips as the cloud of sleep filters out of her head. Bits and pieces of her surroundings come to her slowly. 

She's warm. Something is draped over her - an arm? That sounds right - and she can feel the thrum of a pulse against her cheek. 

Warmth floods her face when she opens her eyes and realizes she's been pressed against the crook of Aura's neck. Zero's fingers are curled tightly into the fabric of the octoling's uniform at the waist, and she pulls herself out of the impossibly comfortable position to blink blearily up at her companion. 

Aura smiles at her, a barely perceptible thing that does nothing to clear the fog still filling her mind. Fingers brush her fringe aside in a familiar motion. 

"How do you feel?" She asks patiently. 

It takes the inkling a moment to come up with an answer. She shifts, still gripping onto Aura's open jacket, resisting the urge to bury her face back into the crook of the octoling's neck for some more sleep. Instead, she rests her head on the pillow, reacquainting herself with the comfort of the bed.

"My head hurts," she admits at last. Then, with disappointment: "...Did I sleep through dinner?" 

Another smile, this one apologetic as Aura's nimble fingers get to work - already kneading the back of her neck where the muscles are tensed the worst. Zero's eyelids slip closed again immediately, a deeply contented sigh slipping out of her nose. She doesn't think there's anything she loves more than when Aura does that. 

"I'm sorry I didn't wake you," the octoling says. "You needed the rest. You've had a long day." 

Zero yawns wide, nestling back into the pillow as best she can without disturbing the neck massage. "S'okay." 

What starts as a pleased hum in the back of her throat morphs into the softest rumbling sound, slow and rolling in her chest. It settles into the quiet between the two of them and she barely notices the massaging pause for a moment before picking back up again. A beat or two passes like that, lying there side by side while the inkling's purring fills the space.

"Is that coming from you...?" 

Almost dozing off again by that point, Zero answers with a light trill in the back of her throat. She peers up through half-open eyes and hums again, watching solid pools of gold as they watch her back. If she wasn't already convinced that Aura knew everything, she'd swear there was a curiosity there - then again, she had even confessed that the lack of inklings underground made Zero a bit of a commodity. 

Ridiculously, she thinks that it feels kind of nice to be unique. If it gets Aura to look at her like that, like she's someone interesting worth knowing, she'll be as odd as she needs to be. She ramps up the purring a bit, the vibrations rumbling away in her chest and earning a tiny chuckle from her companion. 

The moment is completely ruined when amidst the contented sounds, the next loud rumble comes from her stomach. She halts the purring abruptly, cheeks flushing with embarrassment at the reminder that she did indeed sleep through dinner. 

"Um... that was my stomach," Zero admits sheepishly, internally mourning when Aura's hand slips away from the back of her neck and she has to let go of the handful of coat she's been holding. "Can we get something to eat?" 

Another quiet laugh from Aura as she pushes herself up, the inkling following and stretching until something in her back pops pleasantly. "Of course. In fact, why don't we take a walk?" She slips off the bed and makes space for Zero to do the same. "The fresh air will be good for you." 

"That sounds nice." Zero shifts over to perch on the edge of the bed and scratches at her neck, nails catching on the edge of the tracking collar - she grimaces at the reminder that she's in trouble. Waking up in safety and comfort was almost enough to let her forget. "Is... that okay with Colonel Tokaal?" 

Aura steps to the closet and pulls a couple of black jackets from within, bringing them back over and draping them onto the bed beside Zero. "As long as you're with me," she leans over, tentacles shifting over her shoulders and nearly brushing the inkling's cheek. "What Noemi doesn't know won't hurt her." 

Nimble fingers reach for the collar, finding the latch and easily slipping it off. Zero lifts her hand to rub at the bare skin. It's only been a few hours but still, being without it feels like freedom. Anxiety bubbles in the pit of her stomach at the idea of getting caught, especially after the debacle that afternoon--

It occurs to her for the first time since waking up from her nap, that some of the details from that mission are...foggy. She remembers taking the train to the Moray Towers dome, remembers the power going out. The events lay out before her of the call to return, how she refused and went on to try and take out their enemy, and then...? 

There's something fuzzy there like radio static, and when she tries to reach past it, her temple throbs sharply. 

Zero shakes her head, hoping to clear her mind of any questions that might bring on another migraine. She doesn't need to think about that, not when she's about to go on an adventure - and with Aura, no less. Instead she kicks it to the back of her mind, gets to her feet, and takes one of the jackets. 

It's inconspicuous, a necessity as she's assured, just a comfortable black jacket with a hood that fits her surprisingly well. She ties her tentacles back into a ponytail and zips up the jacket, excitedly jamming her feet into her boots and lacing them up - she's on her feet and ready to go, growing more excited by the second as she wonders just where they're going. 

"Ready?" Aura, whose tentacles are pulled back and have shifted to the classic Octarian Red, takes the other jacket and slips into it. A pair of standard octo shades perch above her brow.

"Oh, hang on, I need the uh. The hypnoshades, right?" Zero takes a glance around for them. She knows she had them on before she fell asleep, and when she looks to the octoling for guidance she spots them in her hand. 

While it's odd seeing Aura without her usual gold accents, her smile is just as stunning without the extra color. She tucks the hypnoshades into her jacket pocket and zips it up. "I'll bring them with us, but I trust you won't need them." 

That kind of trust is unprecedented. Between taking off her tracker, inviting her out, and now this...? 

"Do you believe otherwise?" Aura asks when she catches the look of surprise on the inkling's face. 

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Zero shakes her head enthusiastically. "No, Ma'am," she swears. "I'll be on my best behavior, I promise." 

Satisfied, Aura lowers the shades over her eyes. "Good girl," she says in a way that makes Zero's breath hitch. "Shall we?" 

\---

The city doesn't have a name. 

It's a cluster of tightly-packed buildings of all shapes and sizes, crowding around narrow alleyways and the main street. Whatever Zero was expecting, the reality of it is disorienting and fascinating at the same time. Her eyes widen to try and take more of it in - old, run-down buildings that look as though they've stood for hundreds or even thousands of years, some repurposed into little shops. Apartment buildings shaped like large clay pots, nestled in between perfectly square structures that could be anything. 

The clash of old and new slapped together in one place, and all of it absolutely stuffed to the gills with people, it's nothing like the strict organization at the base.

Despite the late hour, the streets are bustling with life. There's more people here than Zero has ever seen, octolings and tentacle Octarians - all civilians, more or less - going about their night. She sticks close to Aura's side as they walk over cracks in the faded pavement, too busy soaking everything in to notice many of the looks getting thrown her way by a few members of the populous. 

It brings a kind of excitement thrumming through her that she's unfamiliar with, one that has her nearly vibrating with the extra energy. There's so much noise, so much to see, so much to smell - the inkling's stomach growls more insistently as the delicious, unmistakable aroma of something deep-fried makes her mouth water and she glances around wildly for the source. 

"Aura, can we try that?" She asks, fingers curled into her companion's sleeve and tugging hopefully as she points toward the food stand. 

Aura laughs at her excitement, guiding her over and letting her get what she wants. A couple of hours are spent like that, wandering through the busy street and letting the inkling explore, which is to say watching her eat more food than Aura has ever seen someone eat before.

The first snack features an oh-so-satisfying crunch of two fried mushroom caps sandwiched around a sweet meat she can't really identify, coupled with something spicy that makes her tongue tingle and lingers even after it's long gone - almost immediately after she finishes that, she's drawn to another stand. Aura doesn't stop her, lets her eat what she wants, watches with her usual mild curiosity and perhaps just a touch of surprise. 

The octoling speaks up as a disgruntled vendor passes the inkling her fourth helping - something on a skewer that may or may not still be wiggling a little, wrapped in kelp and drizzled with a sauce. 

"Aren't you getting full?" Aura's gaze remains transfixed as her charge starts taking small bites out of the Thing On A Stick. 

Zero wipes some sauce from the corner of her mouth with her thumb, shrugging nonchalantly. "I could probably eat about three more of these, it's so good-- what is this? Do I want to know?" 

Aura glances back toward the vendor as they walk away, at the grill they're working, and then back to the half-consumed thing that has since stopped moving in the inkling's hand. The smile she gives is absolutely that of someone who knows too many things. 

"No," she says lightly. "I don't suppose you would." 

Zero stifles a laugh behind her hand. At least she's in good spirits. 

It isn't so much a tour of the city, because there isn't much to see, and the conversation is fairly one-sided. Zero has been learning that Aura prefers to listen and offer small bits here and there, so she carries on for the both of them most of the time. Still, there's a sense of something comfortable and familiar as they walk side by side. 

At some point, their hands wind up pressed together. Neither corrects it and neither speaks up about it.

They get back to the base late, just a little past midnight, but Zero is still too excited to sleep and so they go up to the terrace for a bit. She leans against the railing, gazing up at the stars and soaking in as much of this feeling as she can. Of being outside, of experiencing - really, for the first time - the city and its people. Knowing there's an entire culture here that she can be a part of, one day, when she's finished whatever she's meant to do for DJ Octavio. From her perch, she can still see the lights of the city near the horizon. 

It's a strange kind of sensation that she's willing to hold onto. 

Aura has settled in beside her, their shoulders brushing and their fingers tangled together, and she doesn't move when Zero leans gently against her. "Enjoy yourself?" 

"Mm." The inkling takes a deep breath of the cool night air, unable to keep the contented smile from her face. "Thank you. Really. I had so much fun." 

When she turns away from the sky to smile at Aura, her breath catches in her throat. Because Aura is smiling back, and while that isn't strange, this time it just... holds her attention. She can't help it - she stares. Takes in features, tries to memorize each gentle slope and delicate curve of the octoling's face. She's so breathtakingly beautiful, something Zero's always thought since the day they met. 

Coupled with how good Aura is to her, she really is the most incredible person Zero has ever known.

"Something on your mind?" 

Words get caught on the back of the inkling's tongue and she tries to swallow past them. Her heartbeat thunders in her ears. 

"...Can I ask you something?" She hears herself saying.

Aura tips her head just a little. 

Zero gives the slightest squeeze with her left hand, still holding fast to her companion's. 

"Can I, um." Swallow. Breathe. Calm down. "...Can I kiss you?" 

For just a moment, Aura looks surprised - she doesn't tug her hand away though, or otherwise try to move. In fact, when she opens her mouth to speak, she says words that Zero absolutely was not expecting to hear.

"You may." 

It's silly at first. Like a school kid with a crush, stealing a kiss on the playground while the teachers aren't looking. Zero sucks in a deep breath and leans in quickly, a gentle peck, lips on lips but just barely and she's flustered when she draws back again. 

Her hearts race like she's just run a marathon when she notices the way Aura's looking at her, after the fact. It's confused for half a second, shifts over into something a little more amused, and then - briefly, so much so that the inkling is sure she's imagining it - a flash of wanting something more. 

All of this in the moment between that ridiculous little kiss, and the more insistent, lingering one that Aura presses against Zero's mouth. 

The surge of electricity that seems to run through her when their lips connect again is nothing like the leftover burn from the hypnoshades. It's warm and leaves her nerves tingling like radio static, like nothing else she's ever known, and Zero sighs against the octoling's mouth as she leans in closer. 

She loses track of time as they stand there on the terrace, doesn't know how long that one kiss lasts but tries to chase it when they break apart again. She can feel the heat in her cheeks, the press of Aura's palm against her waist and their foreheads pressed together, and when did Zero's arms get wrapped around Aura's neck--?

"We should get you to bed," her companion suggests, words spoken so quietly in the minimal space between them.

Zero is disappointed by the idea, but she knows it's for the best. She lets Aura walk her back to her room and says goodnight with a giddy smile on her face. It doesn't even bother her when the octoling smiles apologetically and secures the tracking band around her neck.

While all she wants is to be able to gush at her roommates, the place is empty when she closes the door. It's a little odd, a little lonely, too quiet without Zuri's gentle snoring or the shuffle of blankets and a grumpy complaint from Rika - but she doesn't think too hard about it as she crawls into her bunk and burrows under the covers. 

She can tell them everything in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How are we feeling? What are we thinking? Any theories? :3c


	11. Review

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The NSS gets back on track, while DJ Octavio learns a very important lesson:
> 
> You can take the girl out of Inkopolis, but you can't take the Inkopolis out of the girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, happy TECHNICALLY SATURDAY ON THE EAST COAST squidkids!! I'm so happy to have you all back for another chapter!! I can't even express how happy I was to see both TheLucky7th and cutlets a la carte, going through and commenting on every chapter in just a few short days like it's their jobs. Thank you so so much, both of you. <3
> 
> Without further ado, I hope you like this chapter!! (It's the longest one so far at a little over 4,000 words!)

_Review_

When the wake-up alarm goes off at dawn, Zero draws her pillow immediately over her head and mutters a few swears into the mattress. She's tired, so tired - a product of the romp through the city and the tapering off of adrenaline from _activities_ after the fact - and it takes all of her self-control not to roll over and refuse to face the day. 

She can't do that. She's already under house arrest. Come to think of it, she's pretty sure she's been alone all night with no one there to make sure she doesn’t break that rule. When she pulls her head out from beneath the pillow and glances around the room, she realizes that it isn't just Zuri and Rika missing. The place looks like it's been evacuated, and hastily at that - the closet door left half-open and a few drawers not completely slid closed. Things she couldn’t see in the dark the night before.

Her brow furrows in concern and she drags herself out of bed, pulling the blankets back up and tucking them in neatly at the edges. Shoving her feet into her boots, she stuffs the laces inside without tying them and starts out the door so she can get her morning routine started. She’s sure her friends should be at the mess hall for breakfast at least, so she placates herself with the assumption that she'll definitely be able to talk to them then.

When she opens the door, her hearts miss a beat - Aura stands there with a hand raised to knock. The sight of her steals the breath from Zero's lungs, bringing the slightest purple tint to her cheeks. She swallows and struggles to find her voice. 

It does her absolutely no favors when the octoling smiles at her, leans down and kisses her - as casually as saying hello. 

"Good morning," she says sweetly as she pulls away again, amusement lying beneath at the stunned look on Zero's face. "Sleep well?" 

"I--Yeah, uh. Yeah!" Cod, one little kiss and she can't even find her thoughts anymore. Clearing her throat, she gestures vaguely in an attempt to explain what she's doing. Where she's going. If she had known that kissing Aura would cause a malfunction in her brain, she may have tried to prepare better. "I was just, um. Morning. Bathroom." 

Golden fingertips press gracefully against Aura's lips to cover up a titter. "Come on." 

Zero is so elated to see her first thing in the morning, she doesn't even consider that the escort goes hand in hand with her house arrest - being supervised at all times, that is. It’s a lot nicer to just assume the octoling showed up of her own volition, because she wants to be there. She walks at Aura's side in peaceful silence, goes through her usual routine in the bathroom, and comes out feeling refreshed in more ways than one. Lighter. Happy. 

The day only looks brighter when they arrive at breakfast and immediately, a pair of strong arms wraps around her waist from behind - hoisting her up and displaying her like a trophy. Zero curls her knees up and immediately grips onto the familiar forearms, a mildly distressed gurgle forming in the back of her throat as a voice she'd know anywhere shouts out at full volume through the mess hall.

"RIKA, I FOUND HER!!" 

It isn't long before the second voice chimes in. "Well, stop hogging her!" 

Gurgles shift into a peal of laughter as she's set back on her feet and immediately pulled into Rika's arms. The smaller octo's hugs are fierce and Zero squeezes back, completely undeterred by any lack of air. She loves this. She's missed this. It's only been a day since she's seen her friends, but it feels like centuries with how much time she usually spends around them.

"You guys, I saw the room empty, I thought--" The inkling steps back, hands resting on Rika's waist as she glances between the two soldiers. Immediately, she notices the change. 

Previously, both Zuri and Rika's tentacles had been a solid color - dark purple and bright pink, respectively. Now their hair is dark, only the ends tipped in their signature colors. It's something she's only seen on a few other octolings: Lena, Aura, and Colonel Tokaal, to name a few; the unmistakable mark of an elite soldier. 

"...Oh," Zero says as it registers. 

Zuri grins, pushing a hand back through her fringe and narrowly missing the kelp tucked behind her ear. "Like the new colors, Z?" 

"We got promoted!" Rika beams excitedly, taking the inkling's face in her hands. "They bumped us both up to Officer Cadet after the last mission, the one to Moray Towers." 

"Moved our quarters, too. We're upstairs with the big boys now." Zuri slings an arm around Zero's shoulders, leaning with thankfully not all of her bulk. "Someone put in a good word for us!"

Zero doesn't quite know how to explain the feeling in her gut when she hears the news. She's happy for them, of course she is - they're her closest friends, and no one deserves a promotion more than they do. At the same time, she can't help but be embarrassed considering it was her failure during the mission that forced them to step in. Maybe she should be... proud of herself? 

Going back, though, them moving means she's likely going to be assigned a new roommate. She doesn't like that. Not at all. 

The inkling smiles anyway, lifting a hand to get some of Zuri in an awkward half-hug while she pulls Rika closer with the other.

"That's so fantastic, you guys. Seriously. I was wondering why all your junk was gone." She forces a laugh, but she's never been good at pretending or hiding her feelings and it comes out weak and watery.

Rika rolls her eyes, tapping Zero's nose with her fingertip. "Oh, don't be such a crybaby. You're coming with us." 

Oh. That changes things. Swallowing down the growing bundle of nerves in her throat, Zero scrubs at her eye and shakes her head. "I wasn't crying," she lies. 

The three of them settle in for breakfast, Zero casting glances over her shoulder toward Aura every now and then to make sure she's still there - of course she is, waiting by the door with her tablet in hand, looking up to catch the inkling's eye once in awhile in a way that makes her cheeks flush. 

"Soooo?" Zuri catches on at some point, not that it's particularly difficult to miss with how her friend keeps staring. "What'd we miss? You were gone for like...ever, yesterday." She leans forward with her elbows on the table, broad shoulders insulating the conversation to some extent. Not that it matters much - her voice carries.

Drawing her gaze away from the only person she really wants to pay attention to right then, Zero shrugs a little and hides the urge to grin in the next sip of coffee she takes. “Just getting my ass handed to me by the Colonel.” A pause, a glance up at Rika - leaning in from the other side of the table, eager for the gossip - and another sip. “Oh, and Aura kissed me.”

The grin that splits Zuri’s face is almost wide and excited enough to offset the stormy look that clouds Rika’s, but it isn’t like the inkling wasn’t expecting that. It’s the first she’s said about her octoling escort since their unspoken promise to not talk about her. Regardless, Zero gets just a moment of that potent blend of disappointment and frustration before she’s pulled in at the shoulders. 

She’s going to be so sore after this if Zuri keeps manhandling her. 

“Hell yeah, you little rascal, I knew you had it in ya!” Loud enough that the whole hall can hear, again, and Zero looks to Aura again in hopes she’s not curious just what’s going on over at her table. “How was it? Was it good? Did she use tongue?” 

“Tell everyone in the base, why don’t you?” Zero flushes to match her tentacles. Aura isn’t looking at her, but she’s definitely smiling. When she pulls her attention back to her friends, thankfully Rika is smiling too. 

The reunited trio carries on like the previous day, the mission she'd failed spectacularly and gotten in trouble for, none of it ever happened. There's no talk of lost zapfish or house arrests, no pause to question what exactly went wrong on the field; just new schedules, moving plans, and some mild roasting. 

Despite everything leading up to it, it’s a good morning.

\---

It’s an entire week before Ame comes back with his metaphorical tail between his legs - the time gives Marie an opportunity to cool off, and when he finally shows up in Octo Canyon looking sheepish, the Squid Sisters are ready for him. Callie perches on the bench chattering away while Marie sits, cross-legged, her charger deconstructed and spread out in front of her as she cleans the scope. 

“‘M sorry,” he mutters, rubbing at the back of his neck. Avoiding Marie’s gaze at all costs. “Just, that’s my little sister, we’ve always been close - and to me, she’s the most important thing about this mission.” 

There’s no response at first, so he keeps going, hoping to land on something Callie and Marie want to hear. 

“I’m just tired. My teammates are gettin’ huffy with me because I miss so much practice, and when I’m there I’m sluggish.” 

It’s not an apology and gets no response, and he tries again. 

“I’ll try to focus more on the zapfish. The trail will most likely lead us to Jinx, two birds with one stone, all that.” 

Azure eyes finally lock with the hardened amber of Marie’s scrutiny. 

“And I’m sorry, for assuming how you feel about it all.” He swallows, hoping his sincerity shines through. "Especially about my sister." 

The idol’s gaze softens at last. Just a little, and she doesn't openly accept his apology, but it’s good enough.

“We’re all tired,” Callie speaks up, trying to sound optimistic as always no matter how difficult it's gotten. "But we really can't give up now. We know _generally_ where she is, we know she's close." 

There's a few gentle clicking noises, latches sliding into place as Marie reassembles her rifle. "You're not wrong; as long as we follow the trail of the juvenile zapfish, we should make it to the center of Cephalon HQ." She lifts the weapon, aiming toward one of the distant targets and peering through the lens. "That's likely where we'll find Jinx." 

Ame nods, thankful for the quick transition from apologies into business once more. He doesn't think he could handle an awkward silence, not after he spent all week getting amped up to humble himself. He zips up his garish yellow jacket, pulls his headset over his ears, and clicks it on. 

"Alright. Let's get cracking." 

\---

A week of what could almost be considered normalcy goes by before, it seems, everything starts to happen all at once. 

Zero doesn't mind being under house arrest. Really, it's a breeze, considering Aura helps her sneak out in the middle of the week for another night in the city. This one is a bit less social than the last, mostly composed of what's beyond the lights and closer to the outer edges of the dome, where there are obstacles and cliffs that float. It's almost like drills, but more freeform with the added bonus of fresh air. 

They play tag like children instead of taking things seriously. Whoever gets caught and tagged, they decide, owes the other a kiss. The inkling very quickly discovers that letting herself get caught is the best idea she's ever had - spending time with Aura has been nothing short of incredible, and the more time she's allowed, the more she craves. It's almost a familiar feeling, a kind of giddiness in the pit of her stomach that she swears she knows, but it's all so new. 

If this is what punishment is like, Zero decides she can definitely deal with it, and she tries to at least look apologetic and grateful when Noemi calls her in at the end of the week to remove the tracking device from around her neck. The Colonel's disapproving expression certainly makes it more authentic.

"From this point forward, I expect every order to be followed, Subject Zero. I will not tolerate insubordination in my ranks, do you understand?" She delivers the lecture like she's given it before. Zero imagines she has, even wonders if Zuri and Rika have been privy to it, but doesn't ask.

"Yes, Ma'am," she says instead. "Sorry, Ma'am." 

Noemi purses her lips, setting the tracking device onto her desk beside some neatly-stacked folders. "The lab needs to run updates on the hypnoshades. I'll be taking those." She reaches for the shades in question past the momentary surprise that crosses Zero's face, sparing a moment to disapprove that they're on her brow and not her face. "When they're returned, I expect you to wear them as instructed." 

Zero watches her handle the lenses carefully, folding in the arms and setting them on the desk beside the tracker. For a moment she's not sure how to respond - she can't remember ever not having the shades, at least not on base. Not during her usual routine. Has her behavior really been so good that they trust her without them for a while? 

"Yes, Ma'am," the inkling repeats quickly. "Uh. Colonel Tokaal? Can I ask, what kind of updates?" Not that she has any idea how the shades work, exactly. All she knows for sure is that when they're turned on, she doesn't disobey - and if she does, she doesn't remember doing so. 

"Routine maintenance." Noemi keeps her answers short, only the information that Zero needs. "There will be a physical exam in a few days, followed immediately by a test of the new functions. General DJ Octavio will be coming in to oversee." 

Zero's fingers flex at her sides, the leather of her gloves squeaking quietly in response. She's heard that name. She's known it since day one, even though no one's spoken it out loud to her. It's burned into the back of her mind and her insides squirm uncomfortably at the reminder.

_You belong to DJ Octavio._

"You're dismissed, Subject Zero," Noemi says curtly, sitting back down at her desk. "Get out of my office." 

Taking a deep breath to quell the sudden onset of nausea, the inkling nods rigidly. "Yes, Ma'am, thank you." 

The instant she steps out of the office, Aura is at her side, keeping pace with her down the hall again. 

"Troubled?" She asks like she doesn't already know - her ability to read Zero is uncanny, and there's no way her asking is more than a formality. 

Zero's stomach is still a bit unsteady, and she takes another deep breath. "Aura, have you ever met the General? DJ Octavio?" She turns her gaze up to her companion, worry knitting her brows together. A calming hand slips between her shoulders and she unwinds significantly, fighting the urge to lean against the octoling. 

"I've seen him across conference halls on occasion, though we've never spoken." Aura heads them both up the staircase, letting Zero go ahead of her while her fingertips slip away from her charge's back. 

The inkling runs her hand along the railing. "They're running some tests in a couple days," she echoes Noemi's words. "He's supposed to be here to watch. I've only ever heard his name, and that he's a big deal." In fact, she hasn't even seen pictures of him. She imagines an intimidating figure, tall and regal, holding himself much like the Colonel but with far more power at his fingertips. 

For having the information shoved into her brain months ago, the thought that she's never once crossed paths with the man who owns her is only mildly distressing. 

They stop at Aura's door and Zero turns to face her, toying idly with the edges of her gloves. "He's the guy that brought me here, isn't he? I just-- I don't know what to expect." 

Granted more privacy in the upper level of the base, Aura rests one hand against Zero's cheek - a gesture the inkling leans into automatically - and sweeps her fringe gently to the side with the other. "Don't worry yourself over it. You're doing fine, and the General likely won't stay long anyway. He's a busy man." The octoling leans down and kisses her forehead. "I have some paperwork to take care of, but I'll catch up with you shortly." 

Still not entirely placated, Zero tells herself she has to just trust Aura and let it go for now. It isn't for a few more days, anyway, and she has drills to run. Sighing in resignation, she nods an agreement and heads down to her room with only a single lingering glance over her shoulder.

  
\---  
  


As a general rule, Lena isn't a fan of experiments run on living, breathing creatures. 

When she was first pulled away from the border and introduced to this particular project, she was definitely less than thrilled about it, but she's never been the type to speak her mind and stir the pot - too much effort and not worth the backlash after all - so she does her job and watches while the Powers That Be use unperfected technology to slowly chip away at an inkling's amygdala.

Three of the elite officers, herself included, get to watch the whole thing from behind a two-way mirror panel right alongside DJ Octavio. It's an indoor arena of sorts that they've chosen for this particular test - one that doesn't see much use if the minimal damage is any indication - with mechanisms and panels that open and allow certain obstacles to be set up or hidden away based on the exam. 

In Subject Zero's case, it’s a series of stationary targets of various sizes, some in plain view and some tucked away. The majority of the field is fairly empty, save for a few artificial boulders and trees, the kind they must have pulled from the domes meant to simulate turf war arenas on the surface.

"There will be moving targets crossing the field, in sequence and then at random." Noemi explains to the General, holding her position of command with impressive composure given the circumstances. "The subject will have the hypnoshades set to a lower setting for this test, simple commands will be issued, and it will be graded on performance--" 

As demanding as ever, Octavio cuts her off mid-sentence. "Just run it an' lemme see if this slimy little hipster's worth da trouble it put me through!" 

'It.' They both seem so practical, detaching themselves from the fact that the subject is a person. Lena's opinion seems to be the unpopular one, as it likely would always be with Noemi if she spoke up about it - but then again, Noemi didn’t seem to like much of anything. She watches through the glass, studying the inkling waiting in the arena for the test to start. 

The first test runs smoothly, as expected. Subject Zero really is the ideal candidate for this sort of project - maybe if it were being handled with more equal footing for all involved, it could even be fun. Noemi speaks instructions into a microphone, jutting out from a control panel, and the inkling responds fluidly. She hits every target with the octoshot they supply her, avoiding the moving obstacles as they come up to try and mess up her footwork. 

Despite how Lena feels about things, she can't deny it's impressive.

Unfortunately for the test subject, though, it doesn't take long before Octavio gets impatient. He's the one who brought the inkling here, the one with his tentacles latched around the project, and as such he's taken it upon himself to demand as much from it as possible. 

"Aight, I seen enough o' this. How do I remix its brains real good, get it listenin' to me?" He reaches for the remote control, held securely in Colonel Tokaal's hand. She relinquishes it, because of course she does, what other choice does she have - but her expression is one of forced patience. 

"Your voice is programmed into the shades, Sir." Noemi gestures toward the control panel. "Simply speak a command and the subject will do as instructed." 

Lena doesn't particularly care to see what the General has in mind, nor does she feel like listening to him verbally abuse the subject. Her attention wanders toward the third elite officer in the room, Aura Ono - standing closer to the glass than the rest of them and keeping her gaze trained on Subject Zero. 

It isn't a comforting thing, seeing how she watches the inkling. Not when Lena is perfectly aware of the kinds of jobs Aura gets assigned to, the amount of fires where she keeps irons red-hot and waiting for her. Her intentions may not be clear, but what Lena can say for sure is that this isn't going to end well for Subject Zero.

That, however, is absolutely not her business. None of this is. She's only here because she was invited, and it would've stirred up trouble not showing up. 

As the next hour passes, though, it becomes very clear that trouble is inevitable.

No one is really sure what happens, least of all Lena. It starts with a command from Octavio, something ridiculous and accompanied by a taunt she's sure - after all, he finally has the inkling that defeated him in his grasp, it would be unlike him not to goad her - but the details aren't important in the scheme of things. The troubling bit is that the inkling responds. 

" _Why don't you come in here and say that to my face, ya slimy ol’ codfish_!"

When Lena looks through the glass, there's an unfamiliar but unmistakably taunting grin on Subject Zero's face - one that looks like it belongs to someone else entirely.

Noemi's expression shifts and for just a moment, she looks mortified. Octavio, furious. And Aura... Aura doesn't move, and Lena can't read the flicker in her pupil-less golden eyes. 

Octavio balls the ends of his tentacles and slams them, hard, against the control panel - the electronics beneath the impact crack and protest under the abuse. His eyes grow wild with rage. " _What did you just say ta me, ya little brat_?!" The octopus snarls into the microphone, ignoring Noemi when she tries to draw his attention away from further destroying their tech. "I'll string ya up by yer tentacles! Yer gonna be--" 

" _Sir_ , please!" Noemi raises her voice above his ire. "The remote, press the button at the top." 

Aggressively, the General fumbles with the device before finding the switch in question. The second he does, Subject Zero's body convulses just once before she stands up straight again and the smile falls away from her face. 

It's over before any real damage can be done - at least, that's what Noemi tells Octavio when she's doing damage control. Though he grumbles about it, she's able to assure him that it won't happen again, just a bug in the programming that the lab will take care of with the next update. She escorts him from the room shortly thereafter. 

Aura and Lena remain, both of them peering through the glass at Subject Zero, who still stands in the center of the arena. Rigid, waiting, still under the thrall of the hypnoshades... but just a single setting higher. _Out of necessity_ , it seems. 

Finally, Aura steps gracefully over to the control panel, pressing a delicate fingertip to the button at the base of the microphone. 

"Zero," she says gently into it, "That's enough for today. Come meet me at the door. We'll power you down." 

Lena watches her disappear from the room just as Noemi before her, turns her gaze back toward the glass, and consequently sees Zero moving across the testing room - only to meet with Aura like the obedient animal they've turned her into. It doesn't sit well with her, doesn't feel good in her stomach. 

Really, though, it's none of her business. 

With a deep sigh, Lena excuses herself from the empty room. There are other things that need her attention, much to her chagrin - a nap would be far more pleasant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Lena is just a quiet soul, she doesn't need this in her life. 
> 
> Noemi is just doing her best to be honest. Go easy on her. 
> 
> Gimme your thoughts? Theories? Questions? Grievances? I'll see you next week!! (I mean it this time!)


	12. Rapport

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zero has a dream.
> 
> Aura keeps her company.
> 
> The Squid Sisters get some time off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Saturday everyone! I hope you had a great week as always, and I hope there isn't too much stress on you with the holidays coming up! 
> 
> There are warnings in place for this chapter - it fades to black but it's heavily implied that they're doing the Big Bad Adult Thing so if implied sex makes you uncomfortable, please skip over it! I trust in you~
> 
> Please enjoy!

_ Rapport _

_ Voices. She can hear voices. They're distant and muffled, like her ears are stuffed full of cotton, and she can barely make out any words at all - but they're there, and they're so familiar it makes her chest ache. She longs, she burns, she curls her fingers into the sheets and pulls as hard as she can in desperation, despite how sluggish she feels. How heavy.  _

_ No, not sheets - fabric. Someone's shirt, someone's chest that she rests against, and she still can't understand the words even when she can feel the vibrations of the person speaking on her skin. She can hear their hearts beating, turn her face and press her nose into the crook of their neck - feel them shift and laugh, a soft thing that wraps itself around her own hearts and squeezes until it hurts.  _

_ She breathes in and arms wind around her, a familiar tune hummed in a voice she recognizes filling her senses. _

_ She breathes out a name, tastes the syllables on her tongue, a favorite flavor she hasn't experienced in so long and she  _ **_aches_ ** _.  _

_ Marie. _

She isn't sure what she's expecting when she opens her eyes, but somehow it isn't the blank white ceiling of her room. 

Technically it isn't  _ her  _ room. It's Zuri and Rika's room, and she's just living in it because they're still supposed to be watching her. The semantics don't matter much, because all Subject Zero sees is the ceiling through the dark, blurry through the film over her eyes. She sits up and rubs at her lids, trying to get some clarity, and swallows down the lump of nerves lodged firmly in her throat. 

Sheets tangle around her ankles so tightly it almost hurts. The inkling reaches down to fix it, tugging and kicking until she can wiggle her toes and get some feeling back into them - every movement on auto-pilot. Her mind works overtime to process the dream; it’s not the first like it she's had in the last couple of months. She's stopped talking about them, almost afraid someone might try to take them away from her if she keeps it up.

That tune still echoes in her skull. That beautiful melody... one she knows the name of, but it's just barely out of her reach when she tries to grab it. She makes an attempt, and, like clockwork, her temples throb in protest - something that, if she's honest, she's getting really tired of. 

It's been eight entire months that she's been at Cephalon HQ, and after all this time, she's just... tired. Normal drills certainly keep her physically fit, but after tests are run with the hypnoshades, she feels strain in her muscles far beyond what she's used to, and her thoughts are always cloudy and scrambled up these days. 

In lieu of all that, dreaming about the same person every night is the only thing she can really count on to be consistent. 

"Marie..." Zero murmurs the name out loud, wincing at the phantom ache behind her eyes, like there's an image there that she needs to see - some deep, dark secret; knowledge she isn't supposed to have. She lifts a hand to rub at her collarbone, where the hollow spot echoes the beat of her hearts. Where she's been feeling so empty when she wakes up from those images, the ones that feel like they're hers and yet not. 

Tears start stinging in her eyes again the longer she thinks about it. 

Shaking her head and pulling her tentacles back, the frustrated inkling multitasks, swinging her legs over the side of her bed and tying the tentacles up. She grabs her undershirt from the floor and tugs it on, casting a sideways glance toward Zuri's bed where she and Rika are cuddled up with each other, and rubs at her collarbone again when the sight makes her ache. 

Zero loves them. They're her best friends in the entire world, and all she can hope for them is happiness. She feels so distant from them lately though, between their schedules not meshing up with hers anymore and most of her free time being spent with Aura. Her new 'consistent' just... doesn't include them, and she can't help the looming feeling that things are changing.

That  _ everything  _ is changing. 

She could climb into Zuri's bed and curl up with her friends - something she's been known to do in the past - but she's too miserable to even entertain the idea, and she knows they have to get up early. Instead she goes for the door, slipping as quietly as she can into the hallway. Aura's room isn't too far from theirs, and it’s a path she's walked so many times she has the number of steps memorized. 

Fingertips reach out and brush along the wall as she goes, hoping the sensation will root her back in reality, distract her from the name repeating in her head. 

A few knocks at the door is all it takes, even at this hour of night. It opens with a soft creak of the hinges, and Aura stands there in her night clothes, golden eyes murky with sleep. Still, she smiles, standing aside to let Zero step into the room. 

The inkling doesn't sit down right away or turn on the light - she doesn't need to. She can make out just enough to pick her way over to the bed, or as the case is, pace in a circle beside it. Aura closes the door and watches for a beat or two before she finally breaks the silence. 

"Are you alright?" She asks, her soft tones washing over Zero with a familiar warmth that eases some of her stress. "You haven't been up so late in awhile." 

Zero hums unsurely in response, wrapping an arm around herself and lifting her free hand to her mouth. She chews gently at her thumbnail while her bare feet wear marks in the carpet. "Just... can't sleep." No mention is made of the dreams, and despite the fact that it's been a few months since the first time Aura kissed her, she's still nervous when she continues. 

"I was lonely."

There's no hesitation the moment those words are out of her mouth. Aura moves in with her hands-on approach, palms resting against Zero's waist and sliding down to her hips easily. She leans in and kisses the inkling's forehead, her temple, her nose, and finally her waiting lips. 

It's a practiced thing, how Zero slips her arms around the octoling's neck and leans into her, a soft exhale escaping her nose and taking all of her tension with it. She melts into the kiss, returning it with equal fervor as Aura’s tentacles coil around her forearms.

Kissing Aura is always like this, when they have time. It starts slow and simple: an affectionate gesture, appreciative and encouraging - specifically, encouraging Zero to let go of her worries and focus on something nice. It most certainly is that, a very nice thing to occupy her thoughts with, to drown out the muddled mess with just one constant:  _ Aura _ . She responds to the gentle nudge of thumbs against her hips, stepping backward until she can feel the mattress pressed into the backs of her knees.

Zero's pulse kicks up a notch when Aura's hands shift further down, claws brushing skin and fingers curling around the back of her thighs. Squeezing. Coaxing. It doesn't take much convincing for her to take the hint, hopping up into the taller woman's arms and hooking her legs behind Aura's back. It sends a thrill through her, this addition to their routine - the growing sense of need, the heat, the languid and carefree kisses beginning to shift into something  _ more _ . 

Aura moves easily for someone with arms full of inkling, turning and settling down on the bed, where Zero rests her knees on either side of the octoling's hips. Where they break apart for a moment, just a moment, to catch their breaths. For the first time, Zero realizes just how flushed with warmth she is - how her nails are practically digging into the top of Aura's shoulders, how her thoughts are clear of almost everything besides this octoling. This woman she can't get enough of.

A thick swallow works the inkling's throat, her gaze locking with liquid gold - the color molten, staring back at her, letting her get her bearings. In the silence between them, there remains some kind of static - fragments of words and feelings that Zero can't get a handle on - which, to be fair, she doesn't try very hard to, too busy focusing on the goosebumps rolling across her skin as Aura's claws barely graze their way up her back and down again. 

Palms map her skin. Thumbs find her hip bones, pressing ever so gently inward. Zero inhales sharply at even the tiniest bit of pressure, the spike of heat it brings settling in her belly and leaving her burning for more. 

When she wandered down the hallway to this room, this had not been the plan. They’ve kissed plenty of times, fallen asleep next to each other in the quiet and comfort of these walls. Never has it been this intense, though, never so heated. It’s far too addicting to turn away from. 

"Aura," Zero murmurs with her forehead resting against her companion's, her voice low and foreign to her. "I--" 

"Do you want me to stop?" Aura breathes back, so close Zero can practically feel the words against her mouth. 

"...No." She doesn't let herself think about it. She can't. She can't  _ afford  _ to think. The inkling takes Aura's face between her palms, pulls her across the minimal distance, kisses her once. Twice. Three times in succession, each one brimming with a desperation - a need, a need to keep her distracted, to help fill the gaping hole that's been growing inside of her for weeks now. 

Aura responds in kind, returns each kiss, lets her hands wander and explore. She breaks boundaries with the permission she's been given, finds out what makes the inkling tick, what she likes, what she wants. She reminds Zero that she's there, that she'll always be right there. Consistent. A promise.

There are no more dreams that night. All Zero knows is Aura.

\---

It's been months since they had time off, and it's starting to eat at Callie's soul.

Okay, so it isn't quite that dramatic, and maybe she's just being extra about it, but it certainly  _ feels  _ that way. Between the PR people wanting interviews, the practice runs at the studio where she and Marie have to observe Pearl and Marina doing news segments on their own, planning for a new joint concert with Off the Hook, and the talk of a potential Splatfest? It's all so much. 

If she were actually allowed to talk about the NSS, Callie would tell them all she has more important things to do - except the problem is, they agreed from the very start that their lives and careers as pop stars and idols of Inkopolis came before the Splatoon. That had been the whole point of recruiting new agents when the Great Zapfish was stolen. Mostly. 

Even if she and Marie had a break, it wouldn't mean much at this point; Ame finally had to bail on them for a bit to focus on his team and League practice. Apparently, a big tournament was just around the corner, and he couldn't afford to keep abandoning his friends. He still looked unhappy about it when he came out and told the Squid Sisters about it, but they wished him luck and agreed to double their efforts when they could meet up again.

She's something of a space cadet while they're having lunch with Off the Hook, a casual afternoon meeting where they're supposed to be working out the final details of handing off the Inkopolis News cast in its entirety to the up and coming musical duo. Well, "up and coming", she should say. They're already pretty popular - Callie and Marie helped see to that - and honestly they deserve the notoriety. Callie thinks their beats are pretty fresh, and she can't wait to see what they'll come up with in the future.

But even lunch at Pearl's ridiculously huge mansion-not-mansion house isn't distracting Callie as much as she'd hoped it would. The food is great, the company is spectacular, but she can't stop staring out the huge picture windows and wondering if Jinx is doing alright.

Nine months is such a long time, and Callie misses having her best friend around.

"--then 'Rina had to pull me outta the tent," Pearl is saying when Callie tunes back into the conversation, having clearly missed something very important. "We’re  _ never _ goin' camping again, and you can't make me." 

Marina hides a giggle behind teal-dipped fingertips, her tentacles curling up in amusement in a way that makes Callie stare. She's never seen inkling hair do that. "I'll show you how to set up the tent next time. You'll get it." 

"So," Marie says when conversation lapses again. "You go on air without us after this weekend. If there's anything you need, you can contact our agent." 

The grin that splits Pearl's face is excited and unrestrained. "Hell yeah! This is gonna be the most epic gig ever, yo! I'm not sayin' it's always been my dream to take over for the Squid Sisters, but hey, you gotta get on with your lives!" She grabs three fries at once from the basket in the center of the table, dunking them into the mayonnaise on her plate and shoving them into her mouth. "I’m amped up! Whaddya think, Mar?" 

As it turns out, Marina doesn’t seem to be listening to her partner, her eyes fixed on the shockingly quiet Squid Sister. "Callie...?" 

The idol in question pulls her attention away from the window and the world beyond, plastering a smile on her face for Marina. The DJ looks so worried, brows knitted and hands clasped together like that. 

"I think you guys will be great! You're already doing so well." Callie offers genuine praise. "Your jams are fresh and this whole dynamic you two have - you bounce off each other so naturally!" 

Marina holds her gaze for another moment, hesitant, like she wants to press further but she doesn't pursue. "Pearl and I could never replace you two," she says instead. "But I promise, we'll make you proud. It still feels so surreal!" She moves like she's going to tuck a tentacle behind her ear but pauses, fiddling with the napkin in front of her instead. 

"We know," Marie says with a light shrug. She pokes at what's left of her lunch with her fork, though she seems decidedly more content than she's been in the last several months. "Honestly, I think Callie and I will take a little vacation before we have to dive back into our work. Give you two a chance to settle into the job." 

Despite being horribly distracted, Callie supposes she's managed to keep it on the down low - at least, Pearl doesn’t seem to notice. As they prepare to wrap things up and head home, though, it's Marina who pulls her aside. 

Marina, with her odd hairstyle and her strangely colored fingertips, looking for all the world very worried about her idol. 

"Callie, not to intrude, but is everything okay...?" She glances over quickly to where Pearl is chattering away, keeping Marie busy. "It just feels like you were kind of...out of it. I don't know, maybe it's rude to ask--" 

It's sweet of Marina to worry, but she couldn't help even if Callie wanted her to. Instead she offers her best smile. "Everything's fine, Marina!" She assures. "Just, y'know. Thinking about where we're gonna vacation, that's all!" 

Either the worried tilt to the taller girl's brow sticks, or it's just how her face looks, but Marina takes a deep breath and smiles back after a moment. "Okay... if you're sure. You've done so much for us, if there's any way we can repay you...!" 

"Nah," Callie waves her off easily. "You just keep being awesome. And hey, thanks for lunch, it was great!" 

She loops her arm around Marie's as they head for the car, deflating the second she gets the chance and resting her head on her cousin's shoulder. 

"They're fun," Marie says quietly. She rests a soothing hand over Callie's, just a tiny bit awkward. "I'm not worried about them." 

A hum of agreement rolls in Callie's throat. She detaches herself from her life-long friend to scoot into the passenger seat, letting Marie take the wheel. 

Abruptly, maybe even redundantly, she says: "I miss Jinx." As all things Callie feels, though, there’s so much more to the words. It’s not that simple. It’s deeper, stronger.

Marie, perfectly put together through the entire lunch date and even now, pauses with her hand hovering above the gear shift. She takes a breath, slowly and carefully, and flashes the weariest smile she's worn in some time. 

"I miss her, too." 

The ride back to their apartment is silent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, when things go, they sure go, huh? Hope Callie and Marie can get some work done so they can find their girl!


	13. Ramifications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Expectations get torn down and Zero has to deal with the fallout.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful day today, last night, with family if you could, with housemates if possible- whatever you did, I hope you had a blast. <3 As long as my sleep schedule is borked, I shall continue to post after midnight on Saturdays! 
> 
> This chapter may or may not paint you a clearer picture of the... situation. :3c Enjoy! Small CW for mention of being physically ill/throwing up.

_ Ramifications _

Zero wakes up late the next morning - later than she's ever been allowed to, woken by the soft stream of artificial sunlight, shifting a little and hyperfocusing on the feeling of the sheets against her skin. The sheets are definitely not hers, they're too soft for that, but they are familiar and when she turns her face into the pillow and inhales, the scent she gets is all Aura. 

Well, Aura and just the tiniest musk of sweat. That's probably from her. 

Thoughts come back to her in bits and pieces as she drags herself out of the dredges of sleep, slowly flexing her fingers and wiggling her toes to get her circulation moving. Idly, she reaches out for another person, stretching the tips of her fingers and finding only empty sheets - a discovery that brings a furrow to her brow, forces her to finally open her eyes and blink rapidly as she adjusts to the light. 

Aura isn't there. 

It brings a sinking feeling in her stomach, prods at the gaping hole threatening to re-open in her chest. She presses a palm into the mattress, using the leverage to push herself up and rubbing the heel of her other hand against one eyelid. A quick scan of the room provides no answers - her underclothes are folded on the table though, definitely not where they were tossed the night previous, and with a thick swallow and a wide yawn Zero slips out from the warmth of the bed to grab them.

The door opens just as she gets into her shorts and almost instantly, russet eyes meet with stunning gold and she feels like a person again. 

Aura steps in with a fond smile, being quick about closing the door behind her for a little modesty - Zero tugs her shirt on and doesn't bother to pretend she isn't eager. Standing on her toes, she wraps her arms around her partner's neck and kisses her enthusiastically. She doesn't stop to wonder if she's allowed to consider Aura her 'partner' in any context, doesn't bother to second guess if this is okay. It feels nice not to have to.

It feels even nicer when a gentle touch rests against her cheek and Aura kisses her back. Ridiculously, she kind of hopes they can just spend the day like that.

Of course it's a pipe dream, and Aura draws away again with a fond little laugh. "Good morning," she purrs in a voice that makes Zero nearly melt. "I thought you'd like a break today. Shall we take a walk?" 

Zero takes her sweet time before responding, nuzzling her face against the octoling's shoulder and taking a deep breath. It's so easy to get wrapped up in, to crave the comfort that helps fill the space inside of her. 

"Do I need the hypnoshades...?" She tips her head, gaze hopeful, and Aura kisses her crown. 

"Mmm. Are you still having problems with nausea?" 

Zero grimaces and nods, her stomach shifting uncomfortably at just the thought of it. It's the strangest thing, but ever since the last upgrade - the test run that DJ Octavio sat in to observe - wearing them has just made her feel sick to her stomach. Even the lowest settings make her light-headed after they power down. 

A thoughtful hum forms in Aura's throat. "No... I don't think you'll need them."

Angular ears twitch in response, just a little - daring to be excited. "Really?" 

"You have been on such good behavior." Aura shrugs, carefully removing herself from Zero's arms so she can hand off the girl's coat. She must have grabbed it from the room earlier, it would certainly account for her absence. "Wouldn't want you getting sick."

Stepping back and shrugging her way into the jacket, Zero pulls her fingerless gloves from the pockets and tugs them on too. Her gaze flickers automatically toward the shades on the table and she draws her lower lip beneath her teeth. When they've gone out before, she's always had them on her face - like a sword of Damocles, a constant reminder that her freedoms are always conditional. That she's different from everyone else at Cephalon HQ, different from the Octarians as a whole. 

The idea of being completely without them? It could mean she's reaching something like acceptance.

"...Promise?" 

Aura's smile makes her knees weak. "Of course." 

  
  


'Taking a walk' is almost always code for 'let's go into the city.' This isn't an issue, not for Zero - she loves wandering the busy streets, no matter what time of day, even though in the early afternoon sun everything seems far less exciting. As long as she gets to be outside and enjoying the fresh air, knowing that for the first time she's without her proverbial leash, she isn't about to complain.

The routine is familiar and clears any lingering distress, for sure - they poke around the shops and 'people watch,' and Zero eats half her body weight in junk food. It all seems so mundane in the grand scheme of things, but it's The Thing she shares with Aura and she holds onto it as tightly as she's allowed. 

Maybe that's why it causes such a massive problem when the tiniest unforeseen circumstances arise. When something as simple as being intercepted by a high-ranking officer breaks the routine and turns the tides, Zero feels like she's watching in slow motion as Aura reaches into her pocket and pulls out the hypnoshades.

Her stomach drops and her throat feels tight, and instinctively she takes a step away from her companion. There's an implication in that simple truth, that the shades have been with her the entire time, that she isn't sure she's ready to hear.

Aura doesn't even flinch as she opens the frames. "Zero." She speaks the name in a tone the inkling doesn't recognize, before her voice softens into something more apologetic. "Come here." 

"But-- no, you promised--!" Zero speaks quietly, the barest edge of hysteria to her voice. Fingers curl into the cuffs of her sleeves, digging her nails into the material instead of into her own skin. 

Panic. That's panic welling up inside of her, her hearts beating erratically, mind skipping from one fragmented thought to the next at the idea of what's about to happen. The idea of what happened the last time those lenses touched her face. It makes her fingertips tremble, eyes wide and pleading up at her companion. She thought they had a deal, she was being so well-behaved, she hadn't slipped up even once. 

"Aura,  _ please-- _ "

" _ Zero _ ." 

She doesn't find the comfort she's searching for in Aura's golden gaze. In fact, Aura has never looked at her like that before, eyes sharp and commanding, her tone set as she slips the hypnoshades onto the inkling's face and instructs her to "Bear it, it's only for a minute." Protests be damned. 

Eight months ago, this wouldn't have bothered her so much. After the last test left her dazed and dizzy though, every instance wearing the shades has been nauseating and leaves her with a searing headache. With a racing pulse and clouded thoughts that she can't sort out. The worst part is,  _ Aura knows that. _

It only matters for a moment, of course. Just a moment. There's a soft click and a gentle spark of electricity to Zero's temples - and she stands straight with her arms at her sides, aware of what's going on around her but knowing full well that she can't move unless a command is spoken. There is no control, though, over the way her eyes burn behind the lenses. Nothing to stop her from feeling humiliated. 

"Zero, come." 

Aura's order is cold enough to freeze her insides, already curling dangerously like she's going to be sick. The inkling moves after her anyway, feet following whether Zero wants them to or not, until they make it back to the edge of the city. 

It isn't even that long - just a few minutes at most, but when there's another gentle 'click' and the shades are slipped away from her face again, Zero's stomach pitches viciously. At least she manages to stumble to the side, pressing her hand against a free-standing wall before she's doubled over and discovering that her favorite street foods don't taste so good on the way back up.

She doesn't speak to Aura on the way back to the base. Doesn't even look at her, and though she wouldn't want her to anyway, the octoling doesn't reach out and try to comfort her. It's the longest walk back from the city that she's ever known and she stews the entire time, caught up inside of her own muddled thoughts trying to make sense of her feelings.

Trying to work out just what had changed between the night before and this very moment. 

Zero lets herself be led back to Aura's room instead of going down the hallway to her own, if only so she can speak her mind - and the moment the door closes, she starts in on doing just that. 

For better or worse.

"What the  _ fuck _ !" 

The whole scene feels eerily familiar, even though she can't put her finger on why. Aura settles down in a chair beside the table, hands folding in her lap as she watches Zero start to pace. Back and forth across the room she goes, her boots starting to leave impressions in the old carpet, but she can't stop moving - it's the only thing that seems to keep the jumbled cluster of feelings inside of her from exploding out of her - and the octoling simply observes, blank-faced, like she's waiting for something else. 

Even with all that, even knowing this won't solve anything, Zero can't stop herself from running at the mouth. 

"You  _ promised _ !" An echo of her pleas from before, just moments that feel more like a lifetime ago. She pushes her fingers roughly back through her fringe, plastering it against her crown and fighting back tears. "I told you they make me feel sick - I  _ told you _ , and you promised me you wouldn't use them!" 

Aura's expression shifts, just barely, until there's an apologetic crease in her brow. "Unfortunately, circumstances changed, Zero--" 

She's calm. Much, much too calm, and it only makes Zero angry. The heat pools inside of her, flames licking at every edge she has, threatening to turn her into charcoal if she doesn't let it out. Her pacing grows more frantic and she doesn't let her keeper finish. 

"It would have been  _ fine _ , they didn't need to know - you didn't have to turn them on, you could've just--" She can't make sense of it, can't decide why she feels like she's had this conversation before. When she reaches out to find that information, like so many times before, it's like something gets her brain in a death grip and squeezes for all its worth. 

It  _ hurts  _ \- it makes her head pound, her eyes burn and her vision swim. She bites her tongue so hard she tastes iron, but it's better than screaming. 

"--You could have pretended but you  _ lied  _ instead!" Her throat is too thick. She can barely breath. It hurts to swallow. "You lied to me, I held up my end of the deal--" 

"And I'm sorry it came to that." Aura interjects with her soft voice, the quiet of her tone only punctuating just how loud her inkling counterpart is being. "You need to understand that when unexpected events arise, there is no room for error on my part." 

Zero whirls on her, lip curled back in an animalistic snarl. There's so little that she has for herself, so few instances where she can rely on anyone, and Aura has always treated her so well. Kept her secrets, kept her comfortable, kept her feeling safe and cared for - someone she poured all of her trust into. It makes her feel sick all over again, this feeling, and her cheeks burn hot with shame.

"I find it  _ really  _ hard to believe you didn't have any other choices!" She spits, fingers curling into fists she knows she won't use. "You can't just-- _ do _ that! You broke your promise - you swore you wouldn't do anything that might hurt me!" 

It's so abrupt, nothing she would have expected, when Aura stands; she folds her arms and looks down on the distressed inkling just as icily as she had before, standing in the middle of the busy street. 

"I _ told you _ I would give you as much leeway as I could." It's not gentle anymore, that tone - scolding, bordering on harsh and brutally honest. "But these freedoms come with a  _ cost _ , Zero, and if you don't cooperate with me, I cannot keep allowing you  _ slack _ ." 

There's something jarring about hearing that familiar voice sharpened at the edges like that, speaking to her like a child who keeps breaking rules - as opposed to someone Aura seemed to care for on a more personal level. Zero clenches her jaw and scrubs at one eye with the sleeve of her jacket, still burning up inside. 

"I  _ have  _ been cooperating, I've been on my best behavior just like I promised I would be!" She bites out desperately, her teeth clicking together in an involuntary show of aggression. 

Aura isn't intimidated, doesn't stand down, not that Zero expects her to - her rebuttal is quick as a whip and stings twice as much. "If you had been seen by that officer just one second sooner, it could have put me in a far less pleasant situation - one that could have, ultimately, ended in immediate reassignment."

'Immediate reassignment.' It feels like a punch to the gut, taking the wind out of her in such a rush that she almost forgets to breathe. Eyes widen, the rolling growl in the back of her throat cuts out - her fingers fill with static as she relaxes her fists and the blood circulates back to the digits. It's like someone dumped a bucket of ice water over the fire raging inside of her, dousing it immediately. 

"W-what? No, I--" 

"I'm afraid I've spoiled you," Aura sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Perhaps it's my fault. If you'd prefer someone else to oversee your progress--"

" **_No_ ** !" That single word comes out so loudly, so powerful, so full of terror, and it's underlined with an inkling warble of utter distress. Zero starts shaking her head back and forth and only stops when it makes her dizzy - no more Aura would mean so many things. No more sweet smiles, no stolen kisses in the hallways between drills, no midnight outings or games of tag in the moonlight. No fingers laced together beneath the blankets, or falling asleep in comfort and bliss. 

Aura can't leave. Aura is all she has, her only constant when the entire world and her place in it grows more and more cryptic every day.

"No, Aura, please, I don't want anyone else, I want it to be you, it-- it  _ has  _ to be you, please.  _ Please _ ." 

For a beat or two, Aura just stares at her, like she's weighing options that Zero isn't privy to. She only flinches a little when the octoling sighs and steps toward her, reaches out, rests her palm against Zero's cheek. It's difficult to read her expression. 

"I'm doing everything I can for you, Zero," Aura assures, softer this time. She brushes her thumb across the inkling's jaw, a tender motion that Zero answers by nuzzling eagerly into her hand. "But you can't afford to throw tantrums like this when things don't go your way. Others don't see you the way we do. The way _ I _ do." 

Zero lifts a hand to rub at her eyes again, sniffling as the tears start up. "I-I'm sorry," she croaks, voice hoarse from all the yelling but still so desperate to be heard. "I don't w-want to make any problems f-for you, I'm sorry." 

Slowly but surely, Aura moves that last little bit forward and holds the inkling's face between her palms. "Shh... I know." Leaning down, she touches their foreheads together, breathing slow and even in an example for Zero to follow so that she might calm down. "I'm here for your benefit. You're my responsibility, and I'm going to take care of you - I just need you to be a bit more patient, to trust I know what's best. To do as I say." 

Sniffling again, Zero nods, reaching out and curling her fingers into the front of Aura's jacket - not pulling her closer, simply holding her there, like she might disappear otherwise. Never once has she considered the idea that this officer, this woman for whom she feels so much, could be taken away from her. The dread that comes with that revelation settles like ice in her stomach, still churning from the hypnoshades and an onslaught of every other emotion.

"Can you do that for me?" 

Soft, so soft, those familiar hands holding her, even though she's made a mistake. 

Aura is so,  _ so  _ good to her. 

Zero nods again, earning herself a gentle kiss against her forehead. 

"Good girl." The praise fills her with relief. "I'm going to get you a drink. Wait for me here, alright?" 

Her palms slip away and take all of Aura's warmth with them, and Zero eases herself down onto the bed with one more nod. She can do that. She can do anything that's asked of her, be the best behaved inkling in the whole underground - just as long as it means staying with Aura.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I won't lie, y'all, emotional manipulation is no joke. But I think a glimpse into Aura's agenda was long overdue. Let me know how you're feeling!
> 
> See you next week!


	14. Recess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fitting in means proving yourself sometimes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year! I hope all of you have a COMPLETELY UNEVENTFUL YEAR. No big surprises, no big anything - just. A Year. 
> 
> This chapter is the longest one yet at 4500 words, and we're getting into the endgame here! I hope you all like it!! 
> 
> Additionally, the kudos are at 69 (nice).

_ Recess _

The end of the season always brings with it a bittersweet kind of feeling. Ame has been working his way through the ranks since the day he set foot in Inkopolis, striving alongside the rest of his team to qualify for League matches - after four years of practice and struggle, seeing Team Valentine reach the top of the bracket makes it all worthwhile. They're always sad when the season is over, but on the other hand, it's a relief to finally be done - to be able to take a break and get some well-deserved rest.

Ame follows his usual post-league ritual, the same one every season - he goes out for a celebratory lunch with his teammates, heads home to take a shower, collapses into his bed and sleeps. Kind of like a coma, actually, considering he turns off his phone and sleeps for as long as he wants. 

This time, it just happens to be a full 24 hours. It's not straight through - he does have to get up and hydrate, hunt down food, go to the bathroom and all that jazz - but when he finally drags himself out of bed, he feels better than he has in months. He's content, well-rested, optimistic, even by the time he turns his phone back on and finds a handful of texts from both Squid Sisters filling up his inbox. 

Ame is ready for it. He responds to the first thread he opens, letting Marie know that he'll be able to meet them in Octo Canyon whenever they need him to, and he'll even be bringing coffee. 

When the three of them meet up, they sit down with the sweet caffeinated goodness that Ame provides and make a game plan. Marie sips her flat white and suggests they let Sheldon do some snooping around, get an idea of what the Octarians are planning. Callie agrees over her iced mocha, following it up by asking Ame if he wouldn't mind revisiting some of the older kettles in Cephalon HQ and making sure the troops aren't redoubling their efforts.

Looking much less haggard than she has in days, Marie sets her coffee aside and pulls out her phone to text Sheldon. "I think we're close," she dares to say. "Where we find the Great Zapfish, we'll find Jinx."

"Likely DJ Octavio, too." Callie grins, her usual optimism slipping in as easy as breathing. She punches a fist into the palm of her other hand. "As soon as Jinx and the Zapfish are safe, we can kick the stuffing outta that rotten old octopus."

Ame reclines against an old piece of machinery, left discarded on one of the floating platforms. Cephalon HQ isn't the nicest place, but right now it feels like Paris for how positive things are beginning to look. 

"Hope he's ready to get his tentacles fed to him!" Agent 4 raises his drink, and the agents of the NSS toast to solid plans and the light at the end of the tunnel. "To the beginning of the end for the Octarian Army!"

Finding his good mood contagious, Callie and Marie tap their plastic cups against his. All that's left to do now, is wait.

\---

The next two weeks manage to simultaneously drag on with all the haste of a sea cucumber, and race past in a blur that blends everything together. 

Zero remembers waking up groggy and alone in Aura's bed on the very first day, she remembers the panic, the possibility that her poor behavior from the previous afternoon might have brought her worst fears to light - did Noemi find out? Were they assigning someone else to watch over the test subject? Was she doomed to never see her favorite person ever again? Blankets were kicked away from her feet and she'd already set her hearts on marching herself down to the Colonel's office and bargaining - or pleading for some kind of other punishment. 

As she recalls, though, Aura stepped into the room before she could sprint down the hallway and make an ass of herself. She remembers the wash of relief over her senses and the queasy little smile she had offered, earning the most pleasant one in exchange - like nothing had even happened. 

Her schedule continues as normal that day, and the two that follow after it.

When she isn't adhered to her military regimen, Zero spends most of her free time in the company of her favorite octopus. While she can't pinpoint exactly how or why it's different, it definitely is. Maybe it's the consistent on-edge feeling, the dredges of terror still turning her insides icy cold and leaving her to walk on eggshells. Or, maybe it's the newest physical update to their relationship. 

The one where Aura puts hands on her, and Zero's body responds like a well-tuned instrument, singing back to the octoling and making it abundantly clear that there's nowhere else she wants to be. 

Those two particular things nestle side by side in her mind, the highest high and the deepest low, and the combination just means she feels sick when Aura isn't directly in her line of sight. It's better to just make sure she's never far, and it isn't any extra effort to cast those glances over her shoulder during meals or drills, just to double-check. It also isn't a stretch to say that Zero's thoughts are constantly occupied with how she can prove herself, her loyalty, to the person whose opinion matters the most.

An idea finally comes to her in the middle of the night, when she can't sleep and occupies herself tracing the details in the tattoo on Aura's thigh. It's an intricate thing, beautiful, an octopus with tentacles that twist and tangle from the top of the hip all the way down to the knee.

She isn't sure if it's a few days or an entire week before she announces to her caretaker, "I want to get a tattoo." 

Aura pauses a moment in her ministrations, fingertips hovering above the screen of her tablet as she glances toward the bed. Her charge lounges across it - quite incorrectly - feet up against the wall while her head hangs upside down from the edge. An amused little smile tugs at her painted lips but those russet eyes are staring so intently at her, so determined.

"Oh?" She prompts.

Zero rolls over onto her stomach, folding her arms under her ribs for some leverage. "Yeah," she says. "Something that can symbolize all of... this." With a nod of her head, she gestures to as much of the room as she can. Really, she means the base as a whole, or perhaps the entirety of Octarian society and culture. 

Aura studies her carefully, considering the idea. 

"Then we could match, sorta." 

A beat of silence passes, but there's little reluctance when Aura agrees. "If that's what you want." 

They go to see Aura's regular tattoo artist that same afternoon, and Aura lets Zero squeeze her hand while the ink is etched into her skin. It's nothing particularly intricate, not like the intense detail in Aura's piece, but it's a stylized octopus and it's permanent and it represents what she needs it to: fealty. As far as she's concerned, it proves that she's ready to belong to this world. She admires it in the bathroom mirror later, standing out proudly against the dark skin of her abdomen.

Zero wishes she could have a chance to show it off to her friends, but she hasn't seen Zuri or Rika for more than a few minutes ever since their promotion. They even take meals at different times, so catching them in the mess hall is a pipe dream. She has so much she wants to talk to them about, so many stories she wants to hear from them of what's doubtlessly an exciting new chapter in their lives - most of all, she can't help but feel lonely without them. 

She only eats dinner by herself once before sheepishly asking Aura if they can just take food back to her room. If she's honest with herself, the whole experience is downright miserable, but at least she has Aura.

The second week passes in a troublesome blur. Zero tries to sleep in her room for a while, but it's always the same tune - she has dreams. More dreams, dreams in which a warm body sits at her side or she's wrapped up in a loving embrace that her waking mind doesn't recognize. There are dreams where she can hear a voice speaking to her, one that she recognizes so intimately but no matter how hard she tries, she can't make the lovely tones and the name match up with a face. 

Because she knows the name. She's heard it echoing in her head for weeks, now. 

_ Marie _ . 

Over and over it plays, like a skipping disk caught on a single lyric. The only way she can describe the feeling is like knowing one line to a song that she can't get out of her head. It's upsetting, moreso each time she wakes with that name heavy on her tongue. She whispers it into the darkness when she's alone and her eyes sting with tears that have no business being there. Her chest aches in a hollow kind of way that she cannot give reason for.

Despite the fact that she won't actually talk about it, Zero decides that it's probably better if she just...sleeps in Aura's room from now on. At least there, she isn't going to wake up alone and crying in the dark. She doesn't know why she refuses to discuss something so troubling. It feels like petulance, like a silly attempt at rebelling. Rebelling against what? A good night's sleep? 

Just like everything else circling in her mind lately, it doesn't make any sense. The week drags on and she's so very tired.

She isn't even sure what day it is or how long it's been when she's brought to Colonel Tokaal's office, her constant companion at her side. With her shoulders squared, she tries not to look like she's been losing sleep - after all, she still hasn't told anyone about the endless loops of images that feel like watching someone else's life through a milky screen. 

"Well, Subject Zero." Noemi never changes. Always tense, always standing so tall, a presence that demands respect at all times and will tolerate nothing less. Zuri told her once that the Colonel was their age - just 19 years old - and Zero still isn't sure she believes it. "Your progress has been consistent over the past several months. As such, the lab will be present for the next test of the hypnoshades' abilities combined with your own." 

Zero swallows hard, her shoulders tensing and her stomach churning threateningly.  _ When is it? _ She wants to ask, so she can mentally prepare herself. Give a pep talk, maybe. "Yes, Ma'am," she says instead. 

"You'll have two weeks to prepare. I've ordered a physical examination in a few days." Noemi's sharp gaze unmistakably lingers on the tattoo standing out on the inkling's abdomen, but if she disapproves she says nothing. "If everything goes as expected, this will be the last test before General Octavio's grand plan reaches its final stage."

Russet eyes flicker to meet a matching set, uncertainty blending in with the mild nausea she's already feeling. "Ma'am, can I ask," Zero interrupts. She never interrupts, but the weight of realization proves too much and words roll off her tongue before she can stop them. "What happens after that? To me?" 

Colonel Tokaal bristles noticeably, her jaw tightening and her chin lifting barely a fraction - just enough for her to stare Zero down like she's disciplining an animal. "That's none of your concern right now. Stay on task." She takes a seat rigidly behind her desk, flipping through a few papers and passing a manilla folder to Aura. Her claws leave the tiniest of indents in the cardstock. 

"The parameters for the medical exam. The subject should meet or surpass--" 

"If I may interject, Colonel?" Aura does so without waiting for permission, taking the folder and tucking it against her side. "Subject Zero has been with us just shy of a year now. Surely it's no trouble, discussing her future here?" 

Zero pretends she doesn't see the way Noemi's nostrils flare, or the mild twitch in her brow. She's starting to get the sense that maybe, just maybe, the Colonel isn't fond of her caretaker. 

"It remains to be seen," Noemi responds curtly, gaze locked pointedly on Aura. "The topic hasn't been discussed at length in this office. When that information becomes available to me, I will pass it on to you, Ono." 

Aura smiles her pleasant little smile. "I appreciate it." 

Quickly, Zero nods, swallowing in an attempt to ease some of the tightness in her throat. "Yes. Thank you, Ma'am." It takes more effort than usual to keep her hands at her sides when all she wants to do is pick at her fingertips, the unpleasant chill of anxiety gnawing at her insides. 

Noemi stares at her for another moment or two, like she's measuring her up and trying to decide what to do with her. The look doesn't linger though, and when she opens her mouth next, it's back to business. "You're dismissed, Subject Zero." 

Zero turns to leave with another nod, only interrupted by a familiar hand on her shoulder and Aura leaning down toward her ear. 

"I need to speak with the Colonel. Why don't you head for the terrace, and I'll meet you there in a moment?" 

The idea of being on her own is frustratingly distressing. At the same time though, she's almost relieved for it - she swallows down the awful blend of emotions. "Okay."

She steps into the hallway she's paced the length of hundreds of times and the office door closes behind her. Scanning the space for anyone familiar, anyone at all, Zero tugs at the sleeves of her jacket. She picks at her fingernails, she adjusts her gloves - she avoids touching the hypnoshades, leaving them propped atop her head just behind her fringe. She hasn't had to be alone for so long now, being left to her own devices feels  _ wrong _ , even if it's just for a few minutes. 

The inkling sucks in a deep breath and starts down the path she knows by heart, trying to occupy her thoughts with anything else  _ but  _ thoughts. 

The fact of the matter is, she has no idea what's going to happen to her after Octavio gets what he's after. Whatever he's after. Something about taking over the world on the surface? She doesn't really understand, considering that's supposed to be where she's from, but it's not her place to question him. It never has been and for the most part, she's been very good at following that rule. Without an idea of what comes next, though, she finds herself with a bit of an existential crisis on her hands.

Inevitably, she keeps circling back to her dreams. The ones she refuses to talk about. She can't decide if her stubborn insistence has to do with wanting to handle it herself, or not wanting to risk losing her grip on them - not when she feels like she's on the edge of a breakthrough. Not when she can almost, almost make out the details of a face, when she can nearly make out words if she focuses hard enough. 

She's found herself on more than one occasion pushing on through the pain it sparks in her skull, reaching for information, desperate for more of it - Zero has forced herself through the least of it until she can't take it anymore, until she makes herself sick with her hubris, and then spent the next day wondering why she would do that. 

It's like there are two different people fighting for space in her head. One, Subject Zero, the inkling living amongst Octarians and preparing to be more or less used to fight the Inkling Menace. The other... no one she knows by name, someone whose memories and aspirations don't match up with hers. Someone unsettled by everything that's happened over the last eight months? Nine? Groggy and dragging their feet, like waking up from a thousand-year sleep, disoriented and scared. 

She wants to give into it. She wants to force it back, to hide from it. Miserably, she realizes that she can't have both. There's just no room in her head for that - she's afraid the pressure would kill her. 

Finally finding herself leaning on the railing, looking out toward the distant city in the artificial sunlight, Zero sets the hypnoshades beside her and buries her face into her hands. Things were so much less complicated just a few short months ago, and what she wouldn't give to get that back. 

"Something's troubling you." 

Aura's voice startles her out of her darkening mental spiral and she lifts her head, tilting her head to look over her shoulder as the woman approaches her. For the first time, she dreads the flutter in her chest at the sight. She doesn't want Aura to see her like this. Zero shakes her head as her keeper - her friend - leans against the railing beside her, gaze patiently resting on her as always.

She takes a deep breath, looking back down at her hands, clasping them together and rubbing her thumbs against each other. Aura used to ask her if anything was wrong, but this isn't a question - it's been long enough now, there's no way she isn't an open book at this point. Zero hasn't been herself lately. She knows she doesn't hide it well, but when Zuri and Rika aren't around, it isn't like there's anyone else to call her out on it. 

Her vision blurs at the reminder that her friends don't cross her path anymore. She makes a noise of frustration and lifts an arm to scrub at her eyes before tears can get very far. 

For all the obvious signs, Aura still waits in silence for a response. She's good like that.

"...Yeah," is all Zero manages. Despite the clutter in her head, it's the only word she gets out as she reaches for the hypnoshades. She holds the frames and stares into the empty black lenses, her brow furrowing as she mulls over the options. The desperate need to go back to some kind of normality, instead of dealing with the issues that she's sure she'll get in trouble for letting go on this long.

Resigned, she holds the shades up in Aura's direction. She doesn't say a word, looking up at the octoling and looking for all the world like she's a war criminal ready for the chopping block.

There's a kind of silence that settles in between the two of them, where Zero expects the hypnoshades to be taken from her at any moment, but that moment never comes. They watch each other and Aura studies her carefully, those solid gold eyes unreadable. 

Finally, Aura rests a hand over the shades, slipping them free of the inkling's fingers and setting them back onto the railing between them. Gingerly, she leans over and presses the sweetest, gentlest kiss against Zero's brow. It's enough to bring tears back to her eyes almost immediately.

"Let's talk about it," Aura insists, soft and reassuring. Trying for all the world to make Zero feel comfortable again, to help her feel safe. Trying to get her to open up. 

It's all too much for the overwhelmed Subject Zero, the ache in her chest and the thought that she doesn't deserve this sort of kindness when she's been holding so tightly to meaningless dreams - instead of focusing on the life she has, on the task that's expected of her. She breaks down, she cracks open, every bit of truth she's been keeping inside spilling out at last, alongside tears that she hoped wouldn't be a part of it. The only thing she keeps to herself is Marie.

Aura sits and she listens - she takes the truths and the apologies for Zero's silence on the matter, for her attempts to deal with it on her own. She hears the pang of loneliness when her charge admits to just how badly she misses her friends, how much that’s eroding her spirit. She smooths back the inkling's fringe, one of her prehensile tentacles curling loosely around Zero's arm. 

When all is said and done, Aura glances toward the door that leads to their little escape - double-checking that they won't be interrupted - before turning her focus back to Zero. She wipes gently at her cheeks with the heel of one palm, letting her get the last of the sniffles out before speaking up again.

"I have some ideas. Before-bed things we can try, to clear your mind." She picks up the hypnoshades, slipping them back onto the top of Zero's head. "Meditations, calming techniques - and if you wake up from one of these dreams, wake me and we can talk through it." 

The way she's so calm and patient, it's enough to bring another swell of emotion into the back of Zero's throat. She nods, afraid to try and speak, hanging on Aura's words instead.

"I'll see if I can't pull some strings to get you some face time with Zuri and Rika. In the meantime though, I'd like to arrange for you to sleep in my room for now." Aura gently hooks a finger beneath Zero's chin, tipping her head up a fraction. "Is that alright with you?"

Zero takes a deep breath, finally trying to calm her frazzled nerves, and when she exhales she can already feel the weight of all that's been troubling her shift away from her shoulders. Not all of it, not all at once, but enough for her to feel a little less bogged down. She offers another nod and a tired little smile. 

Aura responds in kind. "It's alright, Zero. This will pass, and I'll be here to help you through it." She leans across the space and seals the promise with a kiss, a little damp from tears but more reassuring than her words could ever be. 

When she pulls away, Zero wipes at her eyes again. She clears her throat, her voice thick when she finally does speak. "I'll do better," she says. "I promise." 

\---

Subject Zero keeps her promise. Every time she wakes up from another dream, instead of chasing the ghost of whoever Marie is, she sits up and gives a gentle shake to Aura's shoulder - nine times out of ten her companion is already awake - and they discuss it. The information is rationalized, tucked away, and they do some breathing exercises together before she can go back to sleep. 

It becomes a routine that works without having to risk her physical health, and overall it helps with her mood as well. The medical exam comes and goes without any problems and she's cleared for the final test, just around the corner. 

In return, Aura makes good on her offer to reunite Zero with the two recently-promoted Elites. She leaves the three of them to enjoy the afternoon together. They talk and have lunch, they go to the field for some practice sparring, and everything feels so blissfully close to 'normal' again that Zero almost forgets she was ever struggling. This is what she needed.

By the time two weeks have gone by, Zero is ready. She's optimistic that morning while she goes through her routine, enthusiastic with the 'good morning' kiss she gives Aura, and the confidence shines through in the way she carries herself while they make their way to the same test arena as before. She spots Noemi but doesn't catch her eye, and when she looks around for Lena the officer is absent. 

Octavio isn't there this time - instead, she recognizes one particular octoling Lieutenant with a clipboard in her hands, her bright red tentacles pulled back into a tight ponytail. She works at the laboratory where Zero first woke up, all those months ago, and she turns quicksilver eyes to meet the inkling's gaze. 

There's a flash of something Zero doesn't recognize there before a smile spreads across her face. It isn't friendly. 

"Good to see you again, Subject Zero!" She greets - it's amicable and cheerful but it sends a chill down Zero's spine. "It's been too long. Lieutenant Reyes, I'm the head of the Hypnotech project and the lead designer of the hypnoshades."

Zero swallows hard, taking a deep breath to catch the confidence before it can drain out of her. "Thank you, Ma'am." She doesn't know if she should say it's a privilege, because it's not, and she can't say the hypnoshades are a marvel because she doesn't like them. 

"We'll be testing the higher functions of the shades today. If all goes correctly, you won't remember much - but once it's all over, you're free to take the rest of the afternoon to recover." That awful grin never leaves Reyes' face, her words laced with honey in a way that might be covering up arsenic. "If you'll please just put the hypnoshades on and proceed to the test chamber, we'll get started."

For the optimistic outlook she got out of bed with, standing face to face with this Lieutenant she barely remembers is leeching any trace of good mood out of Zero. She glances over her shoulder at Aura, who gives her an encouraging little nod, and takes a deep breath before slipping the shades onto her face. Immediately she has to force back a wave of nausea, anxiety, and general Bad Feelings, but she takes another breath and steps into the chamber.

The alarm to begin goes off. A voice over the speaker system gives her instructions. Targets pop up, obstacles move, and Zero maneuvers through the course with practiced ease. She's good at this part - physical tests like this have always been her forte, between her agility and stamina she was built for them. Slowly but surely, though, she can feel the tiniest zaps from the shades across her temples as the person holding the control switches the settings. 

Her self-awareness flickers, but she takes a deep breath and doesn't fight the pulses, doesn't argue against the suggestions in the back of her mind turning into commands. Not even when a few of them tell her to let herself slam into an obstacle. 

It's unorthodox, but it's fine. Subject Zero has been trained for this for months now, and she's not about to fail this test. She can't afford to, and she keeps herself focused on that single goal even as things start getting a little dicey. 

When she's barely starting to tire, her body very gently protesting from the paces she's being put through, unorthodox shifts into something else altogether. A voice over the speakers calls out two simple words, words she barely has time to hear: 

_ "It's showtime!" _

Just like that, there's a surge of burning pain, and her vision goes black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What could have gone wrong? We'll find out next week~ 
> 
> Questions, comments, theories all welcome <3 See you in a week!


	15. Ruin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go wrong. 
> 
> Things go /very/ wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings in this chapter for medical things and torture. Tread carefully if these kinds of things bother you!

_ Ruin _

When the higher-ups gave the order that Colonel Tokaal would be in charge of supervising the Hypnotech Project, it felt like a slap in the face - like she was being saddled with the work of an underling, little more than a glorified babysitter. As far as she was concerned, the lab fronting the experiment was full of idiots - but she worked too hard to let their incompetence and one half-alive inkling pull her from her position. Noemi accepted the orders without a fuss and ever since day one, she's been meticulous about making sure everything runs smoothly. 

In all her life, she has never once questioned an order, never doubted the Octarian Regime. She trusts in the powers that be to know the correct course of action to take, how to keep the gears of their society turning.

She follows every rule she’s been handed to make sure no attachment forms - not that she's been particularly interested in bonding with Subject Zero. It's just an inkling, after all. Simple, primitive, unintelligent. It's a tool to be used in the experiment, to see if it's possible to implement this technology on other living beings without any major setbacks. 

That's all it is. Just a tool.

With all that rooted in the back of her mind, the only name for the feeling settling like ice in her stomach is  _ horror  _ \- she can hear the screaming through the thick glass panel separating her from Subject Zero, and she can define the sound far too clearly. It's pain. It's awful, bone-deep,  _ agonizing  _ pain. The kind she doesn't have to be an empath to never wish onto another creature.

For the first time in her entire life, however briefly, Colonel Noemi Tokaal questions if they're doing the right thing. 

"Turn it off--!" Noemi forgets herself just long enough to hear the words spill out of her mouth - a command to Lieutenant Reyes who stands at the control panel, already urgently jamming a finger into the kill switch. 

Though Reyes has been gleefully issuing commands and clicking through the higher settings on the hypnoshades up until now, the expression wiping away her grin speaks of stark realization. "There's a malfunction." Her words sound hollow, an automated response, and she tries manually entering codes into a keypad on the panel. "I can't override the hypnoshades - they're trying to correct themselves, but they're overcompensating." 

Ridiculously, the Colonel thinks Reyes doesn't sound nearly as upset about this as she should. Even more ridiculously, she glances around the small room as inconspicuously as possible, trying to spot Aura - to get a better feel for the situation based on the reaction of the inkling's keeper. She's nowhere to be seen.

Precious seconds drag on like hours and not one single person makes any move to help Subject Zero, collapsed and convulsing against the concrete in the test chamber. The screaming grows garbled and animalistic, the inkling's form starting to waver and destabilize before snapping back to normal-- 

Noemi whirls on Lieutenant Reyes, her jaw tight against the uneasiness in her gut - the instinctive knowledge that this is wrong. "If your incompetence costs the General his precious weapon, it comes down on  _ your  _ head." She's in charge,  _ she's  _ in charge, she has to keep her composure. "Fix it--" 

Before Reyes can respond, there's a sound like the cracking of glass from within the chamber. 

  
  


_ There is no good way to describe the feeling of peace in her hearts, looking out over the city lights from the top of the tower. No words could possibly sum up how warm, or how right - except perhaps, for one.  _

_ Home. _

_ Russet eyes stare into the distance, toward the lights so far away, and she reaches out a hand as though she could grab hold of them and pull them closer. Her fingers curl into the empty air and she comes back with nothing. _

_ "They really did a number on you, huh?"  _

_ That voice, she knows that voice. Her head spins as she turns to face the source, vision blurring and refocusing more than once before clarity finally settles in. _

_ "...Marie?" She hears her own voice, cracked and rasping from a sore throat. A split second after the name falls from her tongue, she finds herself staggering backward as though she's been punched in the temple.  _

_ The young woman standing in front of her offers a sympathetic smile as she shakes off the invisible impact, tries to steady herself. The details are all as clear as crystal now - downturned amber eyes that hold a warmth she knows, silver tentacles neatly tied in a bow, painted with bright green ink at the ends. She's felt this person, this inkling, in every dream she can remember.  _

_ A laugh slips free but it's weak, humorless. "Yeah, guess I got in a little over my head this time huh?" She dares not even think about the name again. She wants to stay here for a moment, if she can.  _

_ The inkling takes a step closer to her, one pale hand reaching out. Fingertips trace over her cheek and a warm palm cradles her head, one she leans into immediately - the swell of emotion rises up in the back of her throat so quickly, she thinks she might cry.  _

_ Zero holds onto the other inkling's hand, keeping it as close as she can, feeling the thrum of the pulse in her wrist.  _

_ "Come home," that voice says. The barest hint of a plea laces between the syllables. "Come home to me." _

**_ERROR. ERROR._ **

_ The pressure against Zero's cheek is already fading away, despite how desperately she tries to keep it - it's too soon. She just got here, it can't be over already - not when she has so much she needs to say. She lifts her gaze to meet her companion's, trying to communicate what won't come out of her mouth, but the world around her is breaking apart and soon there’s nothing but darkness. _

**_CRITICAL MALFUNCTION. REBOOT._ **

**_ERROR_ ** .

Pain.

Everything, everything inside and out, all of her parts and pieces, all of it is nothing but  _ pain _ .

Zero hears the awful, garbled echoes of screams around her and feels the sting in her throat before she connects the dots required to realize the sound is coming from her.Over the screaming she can barely hear that automated voice in her head, the one blaring  **_ERROR ERROR ERROR_ ** like a track set on repeat, the one accompanied by pulse after burning pulse of electricity. 

She knows she's felt this particular sensation, but it's never been like this. 

The shades. It's the hypnoshades, stuck on her face. She doesn't know why or what exactly happened, but it's impossible to think beyond sheer primal instinct when she's constantly being attacked. Her body fights against every attempt she makes to move it, to follow the simplest order she's trying to give it - to get the damn shades off - but each time, her muscles jerk and seize up again.

_ Get them off get them off get them off-- _

The writhing inkling tries to open her eyes, but all she sees is blackness. She can still hear herself screaming, tastes the tang of blood in the back of her throat from the vocal abuse. 

**_\--Get them off get them off get them off--_ **

Pain has never made her so desperate as this, but if it doesn't stop, she's convinced it’s going to kill her. Wrestling back just enough control to roll over onto her stomach and knees, Zero slams her face against the floor. 

**_ERROR. ERROR. REBOOT--_ **

Again. She feels the shades dig into her face, feels skin above her brow split, but it's inconsequential by comparison.

A third time is all it takes for the plastic to splinter, for the horrible torture device to slip off of her face and clatter onto the concrete, and for Zero to drop onto her side and curl into herself as her agonized screams ebb back into hysterical sobs. 

There is no more stream of conscious thought, no names, no faces, nothing but silence inside of her head - in turn, it makes her garbled wailing that much louder as it echoes back to her within the test chamber. Every inch of her is shaking, twitching with the aftershocks as though the hypnoshades are still misfiring into her head. She hugs herself as tightly as she can manage, digs blunted fingernails into her own arms and tries to remember how to breathe.

In the mad scramble through her brain to find her basic motor functions again, there's a moment when she can't even summon the knowledge of her surroundings. She doesn't know where she is or how she got there - she was barely able to conclude that it was the shades on her face causing her pain, and she certainly doesn't know where they came from or why she was wearing them.

Every nerve ending is a livewire, set off by the tiniest shift of her clothes against her skin when she twitches - so when something touches her shoulder, she cries out against it, twisting through the lingering burn and taking a swing at the offending pressure. Something catches her wrist before she can connect, fingers curling gently around her hand.

"It's alright, Zero," someone tells her, a tone soft enough to offset the sharp pains coursing through her. "It's me. It's Aura." 

_ Aura _ . 

Through the fog in her brain, the inkling manages to pin down the name and connect it with the voice. A gurgle rises up in the back of her throat and she forces herself to move again, grasping for purchase in clothing with her free hand and using the leverage to pull herself up. She still won't open her eyes as she buries her face into a warm, inviting shoulder and trembles. 

Arms wind around her, pulling her in close, and Aura starts to smooth comforting patterns over her back. 

"No more," Zero pleads, hoarse and muffled against the octoling's shoulder. "No more, no more,  _ please  _ no more..." It's quiet, it's desperate, and she hardly recognizes the sound of her own voice. That place before, the place that felt like home - that’s where she wants to be. All she knows for absolute certain is that this isn’t that place.

"It's alright," Aura says again. "It's over now."

Zero wants so badly to believe those words.

\---

Since the very beginning, there has been no uncertainty in the orders she was given. That's not unusual in her line of work, where there's no room for error. The assignment passed over to her by the District Overseer has been simple and, simultaneously, extremely delicate - and seeing as that's usually the nature of her occupation as a whole, she navigates the task with practiced ease.

The name at the top of her file reads 'Jinx Valente.' Somewhere in the inkling's brain, that information is rooted so firmly that the name they supplied her with is never completely accepted - honestly though, 'Zero' isn't the most ideal thing to be called. It doesn't suit her at all, full of life and curiosities, open with every emotion. There is nothing empty about her.

It's been just shy of a year since Aura first met Subject Zero, and the stretch of time between then and now has taught her a great deal. Research pales in comparison to experiencing something first hand, and inklings have always been such a novelty for them underground. 

Though Aura can't ever say for sure if her quirks are an inkling thing or a Zero thing, they grow on her, in a way - the boundless stamina, the sense of optimism, the seemingly bottomless pit of a stomach. It's even endearing how badly the subject needs her, as far as less innocent things go. It adds some flavor to the mix.

She wonders distantly if those things will be lost after such a powerful shock to the inkling's frontal lobe, contemplating what the aftermath might be as she tucks away a completed report into its folder. Maybe this will set Zero back a few days, maybe a few months - it's a mild inconvenience, but she'll have to take the possibility into consideration.

There is always the chance it will make the subject more malleable, and that would certainly make her job easier - breaking Zero's trust to get them out of a sticky situation had perhaps not been her best move, after all.

Aura's heels click against the concrete flooring as she makes her way down to the infirmary a few hours later, making a mental checklist on the way. Her superior will want to know the details of this particular incident and she much prefers to deliver information in person, taking away any possibility of interception. The downside is, this means she has to entrust the inkling's care to someone else while she's away. 

She doesn't entirely trust anyone with that kind of responsibility, especially not after this mess. 

Stopping just outside of the infirmary door, Aura peers in through the tiny window to the only occupied bed, where Subject Zero rests looking a bit more alien than inkling. Between the IVs, heart monitor, and the oxygen tube draped over her face, it's hard to believe this is the same girl she used to take into the city twice a week. 

The sad truth is, Zero's fate is in the hands of the Octarian Regime, and they won't waste too many resources on her at this point in the game. If she doesn't recover quickly, they'll count their losses and dispose of her without a second thought. Like her life means nothing, like she doesn’t have people on the surface searching tirelessly for her.

It's a pity, Aura supposes as she steps into the room, easing the door closed as quietly as a mouse. What a waste that would be of a perfectly good inkling - after all this time, the octoling admits to herself that she's grown to like this girl.

It can't be helped. Work is work, and Aura does her job without complaint. 

The lights are dim in the infirmary. It's likely for the best, meant to not aggravate the headache Zero will most certainly be nursing when she's conscious. Aura settles onto the edge of the bed and assesses whatever damage she can.

Awful bright red marks are burned into the skin on either side of Zero's temples. Above her right brow is a bandage, no doubt covering sutures for the cut left by the hypnoshades as they shattered. It's the only physical evidence Aura can find, but it doesn't make her condition any better. 

There's no telling what kind of havoc the malfunction wrought on the inkling's mind.

Aura sits there for a moment or two, listening to the soft beep of the monitor and watching the gentle rise and fall of Subject Zero's chest. She lifts one of the girl's hands into her own, sits and waits with endless patience, until finally there's a sign of life - a stirring, the flutter of eyelids and a twitch of the fingers held gently in the octoling's palm. 

A warbling groan echoes in the back of Zero's throat and her free hand automatically comes up to press against her forehead, though when her palm meets the raw skin on her brow she hisses and pulls it back again. Cloudy russet eyes open and land on Aura - and for just a moment, there's a distinct lack of recognition. There's nothing but a blank expression painted on her face. 

'Concerning' is the word for that and Aura proceeds accordingly, putting on a gentle smile and using her softest tones when she speaks. She doesn't entertain the thought that all of the work she's put into the experiment over the last ten months, all the time and energy, may have just gone down the tubes. 

"How are you feeling?" 

For a long time, Zero doesn't say anything. Her gaze flits around the room, never lingering on one thing for more than half a second, always coming back to study the woman sitting on her bed as though an answer will be there when she looks again. If she weren't more or less anchored to the bed - and likely in pain - Aura is positive she'd have tried to bolt by now. At the very least, she hasn't retracted her hand.

When she seems to have stared long enough for something to slide into place, Zero's shoulders drop and she lays her head back against the pillow. "Aura," she breathes out with a rush of relief. She says Aura's name with such reverence, as though the presence of her companion means safety, and the octoling lets herself relax.

If Lieutenant Reyes' mistake had cost Aura her pet, losing her position at the lab would be the  _ least  _ of her worries.

"My...my head hurts." Zero says, her words sloppy and slurring together. She curls her fingers loosely around Aura's hand, too weak to squeeze any harder. "So does everything else. What... what happened?" 

She looks so dazed, like she's trying to fight off vacancy, struggling for some kind of grip on conscious thought, for memories she's been building all this time. It isn't the ideal situation, but at least Aura can do damage control and see what can be salvaged. She brushes her thumb across Zero's knuckles, painting an apologetic look onto her face.

"The hypnoshades malfunctioned," she explains. With her free hand, she reaches up and carefully sweeps the fringe away from Zero's brow. "You were hurt in the process, though we don't know the extent of the damage just yet. How much do you remember?" 

It takes awhile to get a response again and as Zero tries to dredge up an answer, Aura pays special attention to the way the corner of her eye twitches, and to each and every wince when she stumbles over a thought that must make her head hurt. 

Her voice is cracked and dry when she finally speaks again, but the words that come out are absolutely not what Aura is expecting. 

"I remember Marie," she says. "Reaching out for me, asking me to come home." Although there's confidence in the answer, her brows knit together in confusion - it's as though she's telling someone else's truths instead of her own. An outsider looking in.

For all the disaster scenarios that paint themselves out in her mind's eye, Aura keeps her composure. There's no explanation for the sudden powerful desire to make sure everyone that's ever been assigned to this project is kicked off from it. Clearly, none of them are suited to handling the situation with the care it requires, and she cannot put her trust in anyone else to look out for the inkling.

She takes a deep breath, inconspicuously, and she adapts.

"Marie?" She prompts, complete with a convincingly puzzled tilt of her head. When Zero nods, it's a gesture brimming with uncertainty, and Aura uses it as an access point. "Do you remember what she looked like?" 

It's an unnecessary question, of course - she knows exactly who Marie is. The Squid Sisters are popular even beneath the surface, and considering their subject's affiliation with the NSS, it's no surprise the pop star is the thing that slipped through the cracks.

There's a tiny, frustrated huff as Zero tries to shift, to sit up, and consequently lets out a pained gasp. Aura moves quickly, resting a gentle hand against the inkling's chest and easing her back again. She watches as russet eyes flicker in thought, a mind digging for an answer, trying to conjure up a mental image. It isn't long before Zero shakes her head, reaching up with a shaky hand to knead at her forehead. 

"I-- no." Her voice lilts, her eyes growing misty. "I can't. I can't remember, I'm sorry--" 

"Are you alright?" She asks, allowing Zero to take the hand resting against her chest. The pressure around the octoling's fingers speaks volumes. 

The inkling swallows, hard. "I don't wanna talk about that anymore," she says quietly. "My head hurts." 

Aura lets herself relax, marginally. The less she has to ask about, the less chance there is of her dislodging something that's best left alone - and if it hurts Zero to chase the memories down, then she'll avoid it. It's for the better, anyway. 

"Rest." The octoling frees her hand, brushes her knuckles oh so gently across Zero's cheek. "You've had a long day. We'll talk shortly." She still has so much to do. Aura scoots back and gets to her feet, straightening out the blanket a bit. 

"Aura?" Zero's voice cracks, her empty fingers curling tightly enough to blanch her knuckles. 

Aura turns back over her shoulder, already heading toward the door. 

Zero fiddles with the edge of the blanket, looking for all the world like she's never been more lost. "...What's. What's my name?" 

It seems the shock knocked more out of place than first thought. Still, Aura smiles at her, the name 'Jinx' echoing in her head. A name that suits so much better than the moniker Octavio insisted she be saddled with. 

"Subject Zero," she replies. "Get some rest. I'll be back."

With that, she's gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter may be a couple weeks, it's ready but I need to take a breather. Thanks for understanding.


	16. Retreat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Squid Sisters finally have a jumping off point.
> 
> Zero has an ongoing crisis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Splatfest weekend! Chapter is here after all to break up the fun times in Splatfest. I'm on Team Super Star, how about you? 
> 
> WARNING FOR MORE ELECTRIC STUFF. I completely forgot about that, I'm so desensitized at this point, yikes--
> 
> Please enjoy this chapter :)

_ Retreat _

"Octavio is putting on a concert. Two weeks, tops." Callie delivers the news eagerly one morning, out of breath - it's more than likely she sprinted from Octo Canyon to bring her cousin the information, a poster clutched in one hand that she passes over. "He's not being quiet about it, either - I think he's calling us out." 

Marie rolls her eyes, unfurling the crumpled piece of paper and reading over the announcement. "That does sound like him. Not subtle, is he?" When it clicks, though, she looks up from the poster and sits up just a little straighter. "Two weeks?" It seems like too much time, but in the same breath it’s not enough.

However distant it is, at the end of those two weeks their search will come to a close - at least, she hopes so. For better or worse, in 14 days, they'll see their beloved Agent 3 again. Marie dares to be optimistic about it, crinkling the edges of the paper as it sinks in. 

The grin on Callie's face is radiating confidence and excitement, and there's no doubt in the world that she's on the same wavelength. "We'd better let Ame know; he's gonna be so stoked to kick some octo butt!" 

Truth be told, Marie's pretty eager about that part, too. Despite how she presents herself, ever since it started to really process that they've finally backed DJ Octavio into a corner, she's been chomping at the bit to make that final push. Just a little longer now; she can feel it. The Great Zapfish is practically at their fingertips, ready to be rescued.

Agent 3 is so close, and though she'd never admit it to anyone else, she'd been dreaming about Jinx for weeks now. Marie is always reaching out to her, trying to get her attention through a thick fog when the dreams started, but as of late they've grown almost crystal clear.

The latest vision found the pair of them standing at the top of Moray Towers under a blanket of stars. Jinx turned to smile at her, looking for all the world like she hadn't slept in months, and Marie held her girlfriend's face in her hands as though a more precious treasure had never existed.

"Come home to me," she whispered into the space between them. Maybe it was crazy, maybe she was just looking for any excuse to have hope, but she could swear she felt a connection forged when she spoke those words. Perhaps there was a chance that somewhere underground, a certain inkling could hear them. 

For the first time in quite awhile, Marie is in good spirits about the whole situation, and she pulls out her phone to text Agent 4.

[Marie]: We've got him. Two weeks. We're getting her back.

\---

It's that same day that Aura returns to the infirmary to deliver some less than exciting news. 

Zero wakes up from a nap completely disoriented, her head too heavy as pulses of pain beat against her temples with increasing ferocity. She groans and lifts weak arms, attached to machines and an IV drip, in an attempt to pull the blankets over her head, but they refuse to lift that high. Her entire body aches from head to toe, she’s hypersensitive to every little noise, the lights are too bright, and to top it all off, Aura comes in to tell her that she's leaving.

Frustration with everything else cozies up with the panic that settles in, too tight in her chest, weighing on her lungs. The inkling swallows hard, fighting through the aching protests of her muscles as she pushes her palms against the bed and tries to sit up.

A gentle hand rests squarely in the center of her chest, guiding her back down, and while she’s thankful for the reminder that she can’t move like that just yet, it doesn’t ease the distress of knowing Aura is leaving.

"Just for a little while," Aura assures her, pulling the blankets up a bit further and checking all of the things she's plugged into to be sure nothing dislodged. "Three days. You'll likely spend them here, anyway." She smiles and gives the bed a light pat, but Zero doesn't want the comfort that usually comes with it.

"I wanna go with you," Zero argues like a spoiled child. "You won't even know I'm there. Please?"

She doesn't know if it's her imagination or not, the amused look that briefly crosses Aura's face.

"Zero," she goes on patiently. "You're not in a state to be traveling anywhere." 

The inkling opens her mouth to argue again, but she catches the gleam of the light coming off the IV bag filled with her shade of ink from the corner of her eye, ear twitching at the gentle beep of a heart monitor, and slowly closes her mouth again. She gently bites the inside of her cheek, staring with a very sudden interest at her hands - she has to brace herself to start agreeing, whether she wants to or not.

Aura leans in then, pressing a kiss to Zero's brow and pointedly missing the bandage there. "I'll be back before you know it. Zuri and Rika will look out for you in the meantime." 

She says those two names like Zero should know who they belong to, so she doesn't ask. Instead she just places her hand over the one still resting against her collarbone, takes a deep breath, and gives Aura the most pitiful "kicked tentatrooper" face she can possibly muster in a childish last-ditch attempt to dissuade her. 

"I'll miss you," she says softly. 

Aura gives her hand a little squeeze. "I won't be long," she promises. With the gentlest kiss goodbye, she tugs free and slips out of the room.

For two days, everything goes well - and that, of course, means that Zero is horribly bored. She sleeps through the entirety of the first day, a mix of trying to shake the awful ache in her skull and being too miserable at the thought of Aura not being there to bother with consciousness. The second day is harder, when she's slept so much she can't anymore and all she wants to do is move. She wants to get up, run a lap around the building; something - anything that doesn't involve lying prone in a hospital bed.

When they finally do let her out of bed, it's heavily supervised - and part of the deal is that the collar carrying her tracking device has to be around her neck at all times. There's a physician who disconnects everything she’s attached to, double-checks the stitches in her brow and pulls bandages away, and monitors her closely as she stands. The first few steps make her dizzy, and she sways unsteadily, caught by one of the two elite soldiers who showed up that morning to help.

"Easy there, Z," the taller of the pair chuckles. "Don't wanna scramble those brains any worse." 

Zero thinks she said her name was Zuri, a thought that feels like little sparks of static, and her smile seems familiar, but the inkling can't place it. She doesn't risk the migraine to dig for the memories, straightening up again and mumbling a "thank you." The shorter soldier keeps watching her, olive eyes that seem to be searching for something in Zero's face, but says nothing.

The physician makes her do two full laps around the room before letting her go with a strict list of things she's not to do and how long she has to go without doing them. Zuri and Rika - that's the other elite's name, now that Zero thinks about it - stick close to her sides, guiding her from the infirmary and down a crowded hallway. 

"Noemi said to bring you by as soon as you were on your feet again." Rika tells her with an arm hooked around her elbow, though she sounds less than pleased about something. Zero wonders if there's somewhere else she'd rather be. "I don't know what she thinks she's going to do with you though, in the state you're in." 

A thick swallow works Zero's throat. "N-Noemi...?" She prompts; the name brushes against something in her brain, but she can't for the life of her put the pieces of the puzzle together into something recognizable.

Rika purses her lips and her grip on the inkling's arm tightens a little. "She's our boss," she says, like she's holding something back. 

Zuri, who's using her broad shoulders to make sure no one gets close enough to jostle them, clicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "Damn, Z, they really messed you up." 

She doesn't quite know how to respond to that, so Zero keeps her mouth shut against the discomfort those words instill in her. The implication that there's more than two people here that she can't remember knowing sows an unease in the pit of her stomach and makes her skin feel too tight. Her companions lead her into the Colonel's office, and she tries not to think about it.

To her chagrin, the inkling doesn't recognize Colonel Tokaal right away either. The way those sharp eyes size her up, it's a wonder she doesn't. Noemi steps out from behind her desk and quickly takes Zero's chin in one hand to get a better look, but what she's searching for, Zero can't be sure. 

"Give me a status update on the subject," the Colonel orders, addressing Zuri and Rika. 

The pair exchange glances and it's Rika who speaks. "Subject Zero has been officially discharged, but is expected back for regular checkups over the next few days." 

"She should probably avoid anything that'll shake her brains up," Zuri adds helpfully, clapping a hand onto Zero's shoulder and almost knocking her off balance. 

A moment passes before Noemi releases the inkling's chin with a derisive little hum, turning back to her desk and grabbing something from the surface.

_ Wait _ ... Russet eyes hone in on the item - the accessory in the officer's gloved fingers, something black and reflective, and her stomach drops when she realizes what it is. She knows what those are. 

"Good. The lab wants a quick test run on these, since they've been repaired."

Colonel Tokaal's voice seems so far away, muffled and incoherent past the sudden drumming of her hearts in her ears. Zero doesn't realize she's clenching her jaw until her teeth start to ache. 

_ She knows what those are. _

"Subject Zero--"

Zero knows what those are and she knows what they do - her stomach flips over itself, her fingers curl into fists at her sides, something like a shockwave runs from her crown down to her toes and her neck jerks involuntarily. A twitch. A twitch that she turns into a firm head shake.

" **_No_ ** ." The word comes out, powerful and certain. It's the sort of tone that makes a commanding officer look at her like she's just done something monumentally stupid. It doesn't matter. She doesn't care. Not with the potent blend of terror and nausea clouding her judgment. 

No one in the room moves a muscle, no one makes a sound - for a beat or two it's nothing but tense, heavy silence. 

" _ Excuse _ me?" The Colonel breaks through, her tone as tight as her jaw and her gaze unwavering. 

Zero doesn't miss the cue, even if her voice starts to tremble, even though she's already starting to lose the sudden burst of confidence. " _ No _ . I'm not wearing those." She can feel herself coiling, ready to bolt the instant she has to, ignoring the scattered thoughts in her head in favor of grabbing at instinct instead, because she is  _ not  _ putting those hypnoshades back on her face.

There's the barest twitch in Noemi's jaw, barely perceptible, as she steps closer. "This is not up for debate, Subject Zero." Her tone is low, a warning, as she stares the inkling down. "Visana, hold her." 

It's all the confirmation Zero needs. She almost feels one of Zuri's arms as the octoling goes to slip them around her, barely a brush as she drops into her inky - and more importantly, slippery squid form. Slipping through the crack beneath the office door and shifting back, nearly losing her balance as the quick change makes her head spin, the panicked girl takes off running down the hallway. 

It's not her best idea. She can already feel the migraine starting to form behind her eyes. She's dizzy and there's a dull ache in every limb, but her stomach is pitching and all she has are awful flashes of memories. Memories of writhing in pain on a cold concrete floor, being sick to her stomach while a voice in her head screams **_error error error_ ** until she hears it in her sleep. 

" _ Someone stop that inkling _ !" 

Zero hears the call distantly back down the hall and she immediately darts up the first set of stairs she sees, vaulting up them two at a time, following her gut through a door and into a bedroom that she doesn't take the time to try and reacquaint herself with, because there is a window in the room, and that's exactly what she needs.

She slams the door shut behind her and barricades it with a chair. She takes a deep breath and winces at the way her lungs burn, how the panic and adrenaline coursing through her entire body is starting to make her feel claustrophobic even though there's plenty of space in here. 

Her hands are shaking too much to undo the latch and open the window, so she lays down on the floor and shoves both of her booted feet through the pane, shattering it after a couple of strong kicks. She can hear the clamoring at the door, the rattling of the latch - the ones after her are all soldiers, and it won't take them long to get through. 

Zero takes another breath, kicking away as many of the ragged edges of the windowpane as she can before slipping through it. If any stray glass nicks her, she doesn't feel it - all she feels is the way her feet hit the ground a story below and the dull ache of protest from her calves. All she hears is her hearts pounding in her ears and the grinding of gravel under her boots as she runs. 

She doesn't know where she's going, and the instant she started running she knew it was a mistake - a voice in her head telling her the entire time to turn around, to stop, to apologize and do as she's told - but she can't. Something inside of her pushes her to find... A way out? A way out of what? She's already off the base, there's no trees to get herself lost in, nothing but old cracking foundations and ruins of what may have been a town at some point. 

Stalled for any ideas on her next move, Zero ducks into some of the rubble - a crumbling old stone building with one entire side open to the elements. She tucks herself as far back into the only surviving corner as she can, ears flicking just a bit as she strains to pick up the sounds of pursuit. Boots on concrete, shouts of commands, anything. 

There's the distant sounds of humming machinery, but nothing else. She allows herself a moment of rest to collect her thoughts.

It's unfortunate that the majority of those thoughts revolve around the splitting pain in her head as the adrenaline tapers off, alongside the realization of what a stupid idea this is. Where is she supposed to go? There's the tiniest suggestion of 'surface' in the back of her mind, but even if she were to follow it, she doesn't know how to get there. A shuttle has always taken her in and out of the field and between domes, but the surface is a whole other animal.

Zero rests her head against the junction where the cracked walls meet, closing her eyes and trying to will away the nausea. She's dizzy and disoriented, her pulse racing and her body crying out for rest, and all she wants is out. 

The inkling stifles a groan and scratches at her neck, freezing up when her nails catch on a familiar accessory. 

The tracker.

She's wearing a  _ tracker _ . 

It's with a mix of frustration and panic that she curls her fingers around the band and yanks for all she's worth - and when the sound of cracking plastic encourages her to keep going, she brings up her other hand and tries to dig her nails into the device itself. To claw at it, to break it, to shatter it, to get it the hell off.

The only warning she gets is a gentle beeping noise before a familiar electric current shoots through her limbs.

Zero seizes violently, the sudden shock causing every muscle in her body to tense and lock. The fingers caught on the collar do her no favors as they spasm with each jolt, and each successive, involuntary tug only makes it worse.

**ERROR**

She wants to scream, but she can’t - or maybe she already is. It’s hard to tell when none of her functions the way she needs it to, and the phantoms of flashing red lights sear into the back of her eyes. She remembers this. Pain. Agony. Torture. Curled up, face bloody. Seeing nothing but red,  _ red,  _ **_red_ ** . It hurts. It hurts, it hurts,  _ it hurts _ , but she can’t make it stop. Her body won’t let her.

**ERROR ERROR ERROR**

Zero tries to tear at herself, at something -  _ anything _ . Anything to make the shocks stop, but she only catches skin and plastic, blunted nails clawing and raking desperately for some modicum of reprieve. By some miracle, her frantic scrabbling frees her hands of the collar just long enough to save herself from further torment, but the screaming in her skull doesn’t stop.

**_ERRORERRORERRORERRORERROR_ **

\---

_ Beep beep beep beep! _

The locator device in Officer Cadet Zuri Visana's hand chirps excitedly, evidence that someone has tried to forcibly remove the tracking device attached to it - a fact accompanied by the knowledge that defensive measures have been activated, as well. She sighs and rubs at the back of her neck, glancing down at her best friend Rika Asifor's gaze locked onto the noisy thing.

"Hold here," Zuri tells her. "I'll see if I can hunt her down." 

Rika's eyes lift to meet her partner's, and her brows knit together as though the very thought is idiotic. "I'm coming with you," she insists, curling her fingers into Zuri's arm. "I can fit into places you can't, anyway, and--"

The taller soldier shakes her head, resting her hand onto Rika's shoulder and giving a little squeeze. "She doesn't know who we are. It'd probably be better if only one of us shows up, y'know? We don't wanna spook her." When Rika's lips purse, she continues. "Just hang back a little; I'll holler when it's clear, okay?"

Olive eyes hold Zuri's gaze a moment or two longer, and Rika looks like she wants to argue. Not that Zuri can blame her; ever since Zero started spending more time with Officer Ono, things have been... frustrating. Especially considering how Rika feels about Aura, how she's always sort of been convinced that the isolation was on purpose, that Zero was being intentionally kept away from them.

Now the inkling doesn't even remember their names. Maybe they shouldn't have gotten so attached, but what's done is done. All that matters now is finding her before someone else does. 

Rika begrudgingly lets Zuri go on without her. "Call me as soon as you spot her," she says as her grip on her friend's arm slips away. With a reassuring grin, Zuri takes off, following the gentle beeping of the device in her hand. 

It doesn't take her very long, in no small part because the second she gets close she can hear stifled whimpers and soft warbling sounds - it's much easier to follow those than the tracker. She shoves the thing into her back pocket, picking her way around old foundations and busted up walls until finally she spots the inkling. 

Zuri has to duck down under a slanted steel beam to find the target, her form casting a shadow that stretches out toward Zero, no more than just a quivering mess huddled in a tight corner, knees pressed tight to her chest and fingertips digging into her mantle. To anyone ranked higher than her and Rika, this is nothing but a weapon. A tool, an object, something they’ve been conditioning and sharpening for war - but all she can see right then is a scared little inkling, confused and lost in a society that will never see her as  _ anything _ .

They  _ definitely  _ shouldn't have gotten so attached. Zuri knows it's her job to 'extract the subject and return it to base for further instruction,' but she also knows that's her friend - curled up and terrified and making heartbreaking noises. A resigned sigh escapes and she glances back to be sure she wasn't followed, knowing for sure that if anyone besides her or Rika caught up, this wouldn't go well. 

"Hey, Z," she calls out as softly as she can. 

The distressed warbling noises cut out almost entirely and Zero's entire body goes rigid. When she lifts her head like a shot, her eyes are wide and filled with panic, damp with tears. Through all of that, though, when she looks at the octoling, it's decidedly different from just an hour ago. 

Recognition.

"Zuri?" Her voice is so small, hoarse and cracked at the edges, and even though she knows that what she has to do isn’t in Zero’s best interests, Zuri still smiles at her.

She presses one purple-tipped finger against her earpiece, wondering just what the future holds for their dear friend Subject Zero. 

"Rika," Zuri says into the communicator. "I found her."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good luck during 'Fest, squidkids! Let me know how we're doin'! We're in the home stretch now, just three chapters left!


	17. Recover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are getting sticky. 
> 
> Plans are falling apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy weekend, all! 
> 
> Nothing to say about this one, except I have never been more in love with Rika Asifor than in this moment. Also, a special thanks to Chaotic, whose comment gave me the motivation to continue posting this fic. <3

_ Recover _

_ Step, step, step, turn. _

_ Step, step, step, turn. _

_ The inkling paces. She paces because that’s all she can do, even if she barely has the space to do it in. She counts the number of steps it takes her to get from one side of the cramped room to the other (six, it’s six steps) since, no matter how much she wants to, she can’t count the days. Cod, if she could count the hours, she’d feel at least a little better about this mess, but time is an abstract concept here where there are no clocks and the sun is a stranger.  _

_ There are no windows. All she has is the fluorescent light above her head. It never turns off, even when she’s supposed to sleep, and it’s starting to give her a headache.  _

_ She has to focus on what she knows.  _

_ Her name is [ERROR]. She’s 18 years old and she lives in Inkopolis with her best friend and her girlfriend, and she’s the hero that saved her city from the Octarian menace. So it stands to reason that she should be able to save herself. _

_ She can’t panic. If she panics, she’ll lose her hold on rational thought and any hope she has of figuring a way to escape will go out the non-existent window. She has to take a deep breath, consider her options. _

_ Step, step, step, turn.  _

_ Step, step, step, turn. _

_ There are precious few options for her to shuffle through. _

Everything hurts.

Everything hurts, but that’s something she’s grown used to - so much so that she’s sure it would be odd if it went away. They’re returning to the military base at Cephalon HQ, Zero toted on Zuri’s back as they make the trek home. She rests her cheek against her friend’s broad shoulder and stares vacantly out across the landscape as it passes. A thousand thoughts and none at all whirl through her head: she’s going to have to face Noemi, the hypnoshades, punishment - but it all feels so distant that she has no idea how to handle any of it.

All she wants to do is sleep. The landscape that stretches all the way to the inner perimeter of the dome is blurry at the edges, and she closes her eyes to hide it. To pretend she’s somewhere else. Anywhere else. 

_ She thinks of Marie, endlessly. Every moment. When she’s exhausted herself with the pacing, she curls up in the corner of the room and closes her eyes to better picture her girlfriend until she drifts off into a fitful slumber.  _

_ Memories flow in like the tide and keep her company in the unwanted solitude - bemused, crooked smiles over hot coffee in the early hours of the morning. Wrapped up in blankets together on the couch, watching awful TV shows. Soft humming and gentle kisses against her temple while she hides her face in Marie’s neck, thunder crashing outside. She can hear the words so clearly to that song - she keeps her eyes closed so the tears don’t break free.  _

_ She’s not going to let these Octarian slobs see her cry. _

_ Still, losing track of the days does something awful to her head - she doesn’t know if it’s been a week, or if it’s been a month. Her phone has been MIA since she woke up, locked up in here with throbbing temples and a sore arm - she tries to get answers from the octoling that brings her food and water, but the soldier never has any satisfactory responses. _

_ More often than not all she gets in response is a sneer and something in Octarian that doesn’t sound kind. She nibbles on the rations and tries not to think about how hungry she is, or that she can’t communicate with anyone around her, or how the fear is starting to really sink in that she doesn’t know what’s going to happen next. What they’re going to do with her.  _

_ Her own voice echoes back to her when she tries to sing, softly and completely out of tune; a less than mediocre version of the song Marie serenades her with whenever she reaches out for comfort.  _

_ She just wants to go home. _

Zero just wants to go home.

\---

“Subject Zero was discharged earlier this morning.” 

They’re words Lena didn’t expect to hear when she stops by the infirmary that afternoon. Her initial plan had been to check on the inkling after hearing of the malfunction during testing and pick up the health report meant to clear Subject Zero for a return to her usual schedule - the report intended to actually  _ allow  _ her to be discharged.

“Thanks.” While it’s less than ideal, the lieutenant-colonel takes the small collection of papers from the doctor and heads back out of the infirmary without another word. She supposes it’s better late than never, as long as they get into Noemi’s hands so she can work around the diagnosis - still, as she flips through the report herself, she discovers it’s worryingly vague. Something, something, ‘subject slept most of the first day, heart rate slightly abnormal.’ It’s all very standard and says nothing about the incident itself. 

Lena had been given the opportunity to watch the latest test, but hadn’t taken it. Seeing how it shook out, she’s fairly confident in that decision even now - by the looks of things, the only positive to come out of it was that Subject Zero is still alive. 

Though, according to rumors floating around the barracks, calling her “alive” may just be a formality at this point.

No matter the case, Lena has papers to deliver into the hands of the esteemed Colonel Tokaal, and she doesn’t let the muffled sounds of frustration she’s met with deter her from curling a tentacle and knocking at the office door with it. 

“ _ I’m busy! _ ” Comes through loud and clear in the midst of what may be a disciplinary hearing, to put it nicely.

Still, there’s a report in her hand, and she wants nothing more than to pass it along so she can get on with the rest of her day. She turns the handle and steps into the office anyway, right into the middle of a rather tense... discussion between Noemi and two recently promoted soldiers, Zuri and Rika. Lena recognizes them from the mission to Moray Towers several months back.

“--yesterday, she wasn’t even allowed out of bed without help! Putting her back in the field would’ve gotten her killed!” Rika stands protectively in front of a Subject Zero that looks, by all rights, dazed and worse for the wear, grilling away at Noemi with a fury.

Zuri hovers behind the inkling, keeping a hand on her shoulder to steady her. She watches Rika tear into their commanding officer with a special kind of pride and doesn’t bother trying to hide the admiration on her face.

“You keep acting like Zero is just a  _ thing _ , like she’s not a  _ living person _ and that whatever happens to her is none of your business. You watched them torture her, and now you’re gonna let them do it again when she can’t even walk on her own?” The smaller octoling keeps going. For such a compact thing, her ferocity apparently knows no bounds. “You know what, here’s an idea: if you want results so bad, why don’t  _ you  _ put the damn things on? I bet you know all about how well they work!”

It’s a small miracle that Noemi hasn’t popped a blood vessel yet, flushed and upset as she is, and is in the middle of opening her mouth to reprimand the cadet for such blatant insubordination when her sharp eyes notice that Lena has let herself in.

“ _ What _ ?!” For a moment, the Colonel forgets herself, directing her ire at her unwelcome visitor before taking a breath to recompose herself, if barely. She tightens her jaw. “Lieutenant colonel Elapho, is there something you  _ need _ ? I said I was  _ busy _ \--” 

All eyes in the room turn to Lena as she holds up the medical report, completely unperturbed by the scene she walked in on. “From the infirmary.” She doesn’t say that according to the papers in her hand, Subject Zero should  _ not  _ be expected to do more than move with assistance from one room to another. Not until she has another complete medical exam.

The report is snatched out of her hands, and Lena swears she can hear the way the Colonel’s teeth grind as she scans the pages, flipping them back and forth again to make sure she’s reading the information correctly. Her expression grows stormier with each word.

“What’s the verdict, Chief?” asks Zuri, breaking the silence.

Not waiting for Noemi to rekindle her ire, Lena answers instead. “I’ll take the inkling.” 

It isn’t a suggestion.

Subject Zero’s ears twitch a little when she seems to realize she’s been brought back into the conversation. She lifts her head, dull russet eyes taking a moment to focus on Lena. It takes another second for recognition to settle in before the lanky lieutenant colonel scoops her up with seemingly practiced ease and carries her out of the office, leaving the other three to finish their discussion.

Zero doesn’t struggle or object to being carried, likely testament to her condition since Lena has spent all of exactly two shuttle rides with the subject - neither of which were rife with conversation. They’re all but strangers, and yet the inkling rests her head against the tall octoling’s shoulder, docile and silent, and, more concerningly, not at all like how she’d remembered her.

When they reach her room, Lena deposits the acquired inkling gently onto her bed. She watches her for a beat or two, taking in the way Zero accepts every motion almost without response, gaze distant, like her mind is somewhere else entirely.  _ If it’s even functioning at all _ , her inner monologue supplies helpfully. Everything about this experiment has made her uncomfortable since the very start, but there’s just something about seeing how  _ small  _ Zero looks, sitting there with her shoulders slumped forward and staring blankly at her knees, that invokes something in her.

Lena is the eldest of five, but she’s always been surrounded by younger family members besides just her siblings, and for just a moment she can picture - as clear as day - any one of her brothers, sisters, and cousins in Subject Zero’s place. Her immediate instinct is to pull the girl back into her arms, drape tentacles over her and shield her from anyone at the base who would seek to bring her harm, but the problem is, she doesn’t know if she should. It might just be better to let Zero be and give her the space and time to allow her to figure out whatever she’s working through.

In the meantime, Lena stands beside the bed, silently waiting for some sign or clue to nudge her in either direction. A bit awkwardly, she lifts a tentacle and gently rests the end of it atop Zero’s head.

She can almost hear the gears whirring back to life in the inkling’s scrambled brain, creaking and grinding against one another as they struggle into some semblance of coherent thought. While she hopes the damage isn’t as bad as it seems, everything she’s observed so far points in the direction of a far less than desirable possible outcome. Still, Zero’s gaze lifts and she tilts her head just a little to stare into Lena’s face, as though she’s trying to remember how words work.

It’s horrible to watch, to imagine exactly what she’s been through. This isn’t just some mindless, unfeeling animal - she’s a girl with a name and a story and a family; she’s a daughter, a sister, a partner, and a best friend. It’s all there in her file - one it never occurred to Lena that maybe she wasn’t supposed to have read. 

There’s the briefest urge to at least give the inkling her name back, but it flickers out as soon as it comes.

“Lena…?” 

Lena gives only the slight shift of a tentacle, a gentle pat against Zero’s head. 

“Where’s Aura?” The two words that come out of her mouth are heavy and slow, enunciated like it’s taking every ounce of effort she can muster to say them, and further laced with a palpable sort of desperation. Zero looks so lost without her keeper’s guidance, like an abused pet who knows nothing but her master’s hand.

It’s all she can do not to let a sympathetic sigh escape her. “Not sure,” she says instead, retracting her tentacle and sinking down onto the bed beside the inkling at last. She lifts a hand to adjust the heavy curtain of her hair as it slips over her shoulder.

It’s such a simple answer, and yet, she would never expect it to get the reaction it does. Zero’s expression doesn’t change, not in the slightest, but within seconds her brown eyes are brimming with tears, rolling down her cheeks completely unchecked. But not a sound escapes her. She doesn’t tremble, doesn’t whimper or sob. She just…cries. 

Carefully, Lena rests a hand on the subject’s arm. 

It takes no time at all for Zero to respond, scooting over the slight distance between them and leaning against the octoling’s side. Even if she isn’t actively making a scene, her voice is still thick when she starts speaking again. 

“I’m tired.” 

The sentiment is left hanging in the air for a moment. 

Lena doesn’t ask if she’d like to be held. Of course not - she has younger siblings, after all. Instead, she scoots back toward the headboard and swings her long legs up onto the bed, leaving herself open and unthreatening. 

Zero doesn’t ask to  _ be  _ held, in turn, but she does move exactly how someone might if they’re used to having a bigger bed to crawl into when they’re frightened or upset. She shifts - slowly, tensing here and there, struggling to get her body to comply - and inches closer until she can lay against the tall woman’s chest. It takes her a bit to find a position she can tolerate being in, but when she finally settles down, Lena drapes her arms - and some of her tentacles, for good measure - over the inkling like a weighted blanket.

For all that she has no hand in what’s being done to Zero, the least she can do is try to keep her safe and comfortable. She waits, listening for the telltale sound of soft breathing growing deeper and evening out before she settles in for a nap herself. 

\---

Those in the Octarian Army are expected to know how to perform their jobs, and to do so in adherence with designated protocols. The personnel on-base are no different, with strict schedules and a curfew that determine everything from when, where, and how drills, chores, and even what little allotted personal free time should be conducted. They’re soldiers, after all; they belong to the state and are expected to behave in a manner befitting as such.

That being said, Aura’s patience is wearing dangerously thin with those who are supposed to be in charge.

When she returns from the district capital three days later, as promised, she’s handed a medical report from an exhausted-looking Noemi who won’t look her in the eye.

“There was an... incident.” She says as she tries not to grind her teeth. Goodness knows her jaw must be sore from clenching it all the time. “Subject Zero was discharged from the infirmary, but is still recovering under watch. The subject attempted an escape--”

_ “Where is she?” _

Aura doesn’t make a habit of interrupting others, largely on principle, but somewhere between the words ‘incident’ and ‘escape’, something switched off inside her in a less than pleasant way. The question that leaves her lips is uncharacteristically cold, and speaks with an authority that the colonel knows better than to challenge.

Noemi tenses and reflexively swallows at the sound, doing her utmost to discreetly compose herself before she answers. It’s not enough to mask the telltale tremble in her voice when she responds.

“She’s with Lieutenant Colonel Elapho.” 

Aura doesn’t linger.

  
  


\---

  
  


_ Click, click, click.  _

Heels. That’s the sound of heels against concrete, barely muffled by a closed door. Zero knows that familiar rhythm even in her muddled state of awareness - she could recognize it anywhere - but she doesn’t try to move. Not when there’s a steady beat of hearts playing by her ear, a warm body, and arms holding her, keeping her safe. Safe from those who would come to collect her. To take her back. To put her back under the thrall of the hypnoshades.

She curls closer into that safe spot without thinking about it. That’s where she wants to be, and it’s as good a vantage point as any to start putting out feelers and getting an idea of what’s going on around her. 

Hinges whine softly as a door opens. 

The body beneath her shifts ever so slightly, and something like a heavy blanket rolls over her shoulders in the process. 

“How is she?” A quiet voice that makes Zero’s stomach twist and her chest tighten. 

She can hear the reverberation of the next voice, echoing in the chest she’s laying against. “Not sure.” A pause, and then: “Tired.”

Gentle pressure; warm, solid; a hand resting on her back. 

_ Aura. _

“I’ll take her. Thank you, Lena.” 

At first, dread settles like ice in her stomach at the idea of leaving her Safe Spot, but her limbs are so heavy, and she doesn’t struggle when she’s lifted with surprising ease. She’s passed off from one pair of arms to another, and she rests her cheek on a shoulder that she’s better acquainted with, already drifting back to sleep. 

“Aura…” Zero murmurs, before she slips back into slumber and goes slack in the octoling’s arms.

It could be days before she opens her eyes again. Weeks, even, and she would be none the wiser - no matter how long she spends drifting in that dreamless space, when she’s inevitably dragged back to consciousness she’s still as exhausted as if she hadn’t slept at all. Zero tries to take a deep breath and her lungs burn, her body aches, her limbs are stiff and tingle like static when she reaches for a surface to gain leverage off of. 

Ridiculously, the first words to spill out of her mouth are a slurred notion of, “Am I gonna die?” 

Because it certainly feels that way. Not that she knows what dying feels like, but with this lethargy and dizziness, and the strength it takes her to do literally anything, there are few other things it could be. A palm rests between her shoulder blades, setting her nerve endings alight through her undershirt. For a moment or two, it’s too much, and she fights the powerful urge to twist away from the overstimulating sensation.

“You aren’t going to die,” Aura says from above her. “Not while I’m here.” 

Zero’s body moves without her commanding it to do so, twisting and rolling onto her back despite the heaviness in her - to say nothing of the nearly-painful spread of pinprick sensations through her limbs. It’s a herculean effort to wind up flat on her back, looking up at the blurry figure of her favorite octoling. She has to blink a few times to clear things up. 

Aura sits beside her at the edge of the bed, the comfortable one that Zero has spent most of her nights in over the last several months. She’s smiling, albeit somewhat more mutedly than usual, hand still stretched out where it had touched the inkling’s back. The way her hearts ache at the beautiful, familiar sight is undeniable, finally face to face with the only person she’s wanted for the last…

“...How long was I asleep?” 

Three days? Three days, Aura was supposed to be gone. Zero swallows hard, her throat dry as the desert. She wants to sit up, but when she tries, her arms don’t quite support her weight. She ends up propped up by her elbows.

“Lie down, please.” The command is quiet, but there’s no ignoring it and Zero does as she’s told. Aura is moving, tugging one of the pillows a bit further down and tucking it behind the inkling’s head. Next, she reaches for a bottle on the nightstand. “You’ve been in and out all day. Here, drink.” 

It’s a careful process but Zero takes small sips from the bottle held to her lips, quelling the animalistic impulse to start chugging when she realizes it’s water and she’s  _ thirsty _ . She feels like a child like this - goodness knows she must be just as useless - and the idea weighs on her already-exhausted mind when she wants to go back to sleep. 

Aura peppers the silence with a gentle sigh. She sets the water bottle back in place, then reaches down and gingerly moves her fringe aside to rest the back of her hand against Zero’s brow. 

The contact makes her tense up, but she doesn’t complain. 

“The doctor’s been in to check on you. He’s assured me you’ll be alright, but you need to take it easy for awhile.” Aura tells her, sliding nimble fingers down the side of her face and cupping her cheek in one palm. There’s the tiniest of worried tilts to the woman’s brow when Zero winces. “I’d like to know what happened while I was gone.” 

The details are a bit foggy, but Zero recounts as much as she can remember - the panic, running away, the broken window (which, incidentally, must have been patched up; she can’t feel a draft), the shock from the tracking collar that jostled some of her back into place. She takes extra care to talk about how Lena ‘rescued’ her from Noemi’s wrath, and she wonders if she’s still going to have to face punishment for the whole debacle. 

Aura listens, rapt on every word, but her expression is unreadable when Zero finishes her story. She gets to her feet and begins pacing, one hand supporting her elbow while the other presses delicate digits against her lips, her brow furrowed lightly in thought. It’s a slow, measured sort of thing, punctuated now and then by long pauses between turns. In all the time they’ve known each other, the inkling is sure she’s never seen Aura pace like that. The thought that she’s caused her favorite person this much trouble makes her stomach churn. 

When she finally comes back to the bed, Zero reaches for her. She catches one clawed hand with her own, gaze locked on gold-tipped fingers instead of looking Aura in the eye. How can she? 

“...What happens now?” She asks as quietly as she can, her voice small in the space between them. 

Puzzled, the octoling gives her hand a gentle squeeze. “What do you mean?” 

Her chest tightens and her throat feels thick at the thought as it crosses her mind, before she even has a chance to voice it - she can already feel the familiar burn of tears as she finally looks up to meet Aura’s eyes.

“Are they...gonna get rid of me?”

The worst possible thing that Aura could do in that moment is pause. Naturally, that’s exactly what happens, even if it’s only for a millisecond. “Why would you think that...?”

It comes out before she can think about it, blunt and resigned. “I’m no use if I’m broken.” 

It’s a truth they both know, whether Aura is going to admit it or not - Zero thinks she catches a glimpse of acknowledgement in the octoling’s eyes, but it’s gone just as quickly as it appeared, replaced by the motion of two warm palms pressed on either side of her face. It makes her muscles tense up, but she fights the awful feeling away, just to better take in the way Aura looks at her.

“They will do nothing of the sort.” She says the words so confidently it leaves no room for doubt, leaning in and kissing Zero’s forehead like she’s sealing a promise. “Not as long as I’m here. Will you trust me?” 

A ‘yes’ waits to leap off the tip of the inkling’s tongue, but there’s hesitation - after all, the second Aura disappeared, everything seemed to fall apart around her. Zero takes a deep breath, lifting a hand to rest against Aura’s wrist. 

“...you promise you won’t leave me?” 

She asks the question so softly, like she’s not sure if she’ll believe the answer - she just wants  _ something _ , just wants to be placated even if it’s a lie. Weary russet eyes search the depths of molten gold, hoping for some kind of catharsis. 

It feels much less hollow than she’s expecting it to when Aura touches their foreheads together and murmurs “I promise” into the space between them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two more to go.~


	18. Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's showtime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiiii. Thank you for waiting an extra week, in lieu of Translation Error's update last week!! 
> 
> This chapter's a long 'un. After this, just one more to go. Y'all are champions for sticking with it. <3

_ Return _

Two weeks.

It takes two entire weeks for Subject Zero to even  _ begin  _ to return to some semblance of her former self. Fourteen days for the light to return to her eyes, for her to smile and laugh - until she has to stop herself because her lungs hurt too much for that. Three hundred and thirty-six hours - not that Aura is counting - before she’s finally well enough to get swept up in their old games of stolen kisses in the halls and ‘dates’ on the terrace.

It’s far too long, especially when Aura knows what’s looming on the horizon, drawing ever closer with each rising sun.

Such knowledge is a burden at best.

This was only supposed to be a job. None of it was supposed to involve getting attached to the inkling. Yet here she is, almost a year later, having grown particularly fond of Zero and the way she curls up against her and purrs. Zero, ever so dedicated to her task and optimistic of the final outcome; Zero, so full of zest for life in everything she did.

But this was still a job, regardless. A mission. Aura always finishes what she starts, no matter what it takes, and she’s going to make sure Zero gets back to where she belongs. She can’t keep her. She never could, and she’s accepted that.

Aura is going to do whatever she has to do to send  _ Jinx  _ back home.

General Octavio has always had a flair for the dramatic, so naturally he decided the best way to lure in and dismantle the New Squidbeak Splatoon - the first step of who knows how many in his ‘Hostile Surface Takeover’ plan - is to pull them into a battle disguised as a concert, and win the hearts of the Octarians by letting them all attend without a cover charge. Then they can all watch him defeat the Inkling Menace once and for all, and regain his control.

Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen, not when the capitol has called for his downfall. They’ve orchestrated it even, putting it into the hands of the District Overseer and her second in command to initiate the sabotage that will take down the figurehead. 

The officer with the title of second in command, of course, is Aura.

As two long, agonizing weeks go by and the octoling watches Zero recover bit by bit, she considers how everything is going to play out. She weighs her options, she starts to make backup plans for any potential mistakes, and she decides how she’s going to say goodbye when the time comes to do so. 

It’s the day before the final showdown when Zero bounds up to Aura after her morning drills, nearly superjumping into her caretaker’s arms and kissing her full on the mouth - all the passion and excitement she’s ever had, just the slightest bit muted, like she’s been saving it for that moment - with roughly 24 hours on the clock until she disappears from Cephalon HQ forever, nothing more than a fond memory, leaving a significant imprint behind her.

A bright spot in their otherwise monotonous routine.

“How are you feeling?” Aura asks when they part, setting Zero’s feet back on the ground but not pulling away from her just yet. Feeling the smaller form close to her, it’s a kind of comfort she’s decided to be selfish and indulge in just a little longer. 

A smile lights up the inkling’s face despite the dark circles beneath her eyes, warm and more energetic than she’s been in weeks. “It feels so good to be moving around again.” She says it in earnest, like no stronger truth has ever been spoken, continuing on in an increasingly breathless ramble. “I even got a chance to do some sparring with Zuri and Rika, they keep me on my toes - I’m a little sore, but it’s that good sore, y’know? Like when you’re super hungry and you finally get to eat, but you eat too much, so you’re full but it was so worth it-- oh, now I’m hungry.” 

It’s like she has so much to say but no time to say it. Aura wonders if she has any idea at all just how correct that assumption is. She just smiles and lets Zero slip from her arms at last, chattering away as they walk back down the hall. 

“--and I never thought I’d do something as dirty as playing at bein’ hurt, but you should’ve seen how fast it made an opening for me to just take Zuri off her feet!” Zero rests a hand subconsciously against her ribs when she laughs. “Oh, yeah, speaking of which, don’t I have a doctor thing today?” 

“A physical exam,” Aura supplies. “Assuming you’re cleared for it, I thought we might head into the city afterward.” She keeps her thoughts out of her tone of voice, a skill she’s quite versed in. 

Zero is none the wiser, perking up at the idea. “Yes, please!” 

There’s so much extra energy in her from being kept on bed rest for so long, and she passes the medical exam with flying colors - the burns that had previously marked her temples are no longer a bright shade of red, and though the cut above her brow will definitely scar it’s nothing too noticeable from a distance. In time, they’ll be little more than faded reminders of her time spent underground.

The sun is just beginning to set when the pair of them make their way out, with a brief pit stop for Zero to heckle her friends in the mess hall - Zuri and Rika have been given extra clean-up duties as a punishment for back-talking their commanding officer, and the inkling pokes fun at them until Zuri gets her in a headlock and nearly dunks her into a bucket of soapy water. 

“You’re the one we got in trouble for, ya little shit!” One of the octolings joyfully reminds her, grinning and wrestling Zero onto the floor. 

Rika joins in, though it’s mostly to yank the girl out of harm’s way before Zuri can get too rough with her. She kneels and pulls a still-laughing Zero half into her lap, pressing clawed hands against cheeks and squishing the inkling’s face. “It felt real good to let loose on Noemi like that, but next time  _ you’re  _ doing the chores!” The threat holds no real malice, punctuated by a gentle kiss to her captive’s brow.

They don’t linger long, and Zero gets in one last good squeeze with both of the cadets before she’s up and sticking to Aura’s side like velcro again. 

While their city adventure is unremarkable, so much like the visits they’ve had in the past, Aura takes extra care to make memories from this one. She lets Zero eat whatever she wants, takes her beyond the bright lights and out to their usual playground of floating rocks, keeps a close eye on her while they clamber to the top and sit to stare up at the artificial stars as the sky panels darken. She watches Zero lay flat with her arms spread out to the sides and a contented smile on her face, golden eyes roaming down to the lavender octopus inked onto her skin and sticking there for a moment or two. 

When Aura leans down to kiss her, Zero melts into the soft press of lips against hers. She doesn’t think twice about it - she shifts automatically to lean into it, resting a hand on the octoling’s arm and the other on the back of Aura’s neck. They kiss like cautious new lovers at first, slowly growing into something more like rambunctious teenagers eager for the thrill of getting caught out there. 

Lips press harder. Teeth catch, but not to draw blood. Fingertips dig in, pleasant warmth starts to flare into something stronger. No one interrupts them. Zero is the first to break for air and when she looks into Aura’s eyes over the flush in her cheeks, it’s all too clear how she feels about this. Adoration, fealty, desire - it’s all there. 

Zero doesn’t have to tell Aura that she loves her. Aura knows. 

“Shall we go back?” 

It’s such a charged question and Zero swallows, hard. “Yeah.” 

They make the night last as long as they can, and still it all goes by too fast. Aura sleeps about as well as she always does, waking intermittently and checking to be sure that Zero is still fast asleep at her side. When the sky shifts into a pre-dawn she gives up and simply props herself up on her elbow, watching her companion’s chest rise and fall. 

The scene is so peaceful that as she reaches out and brushes the tips of her fingers across Zero’s brow, she can almost forget what this new dawn is bringing.

A deep sigh escapes Aura. As carefully as she can, she reaches over the inkling to the nightstand, where the hypnoshades have been eagerly waiting for their purpose to be fulfilled. She mulls over the few things that could cause setbacks - most importantly, if Zero’s body gives out, but the shades will take care of that. They haven’t tested them since the malfunction, but even if the event repeats itself, it will be on the battlefield. By then, Aura will be long gone, and it won’t be her problem anymore. 

It’s time for this odd, convoluted fairy tale to draw to a close. 

Aura swallows the last traces of wistful ‘what if’ scenarios and reluctance to go through with this, shades in hand as she settles back down again. 

Zero shifts a little in her sleep, rolling onto her side and curling closer. 

“Zero,” the octoling speaks softly into the shrinking darkness. “Wake up, dear.” 

Brows furrow and Zero grunts almost defiantly, turning her face deeper into the pillow. 

Aura only hesitates for a moment. “Jinx…” 

The inkling’s ear twitches, perks up, like she’s straining to hear an old favorite song that she can’t quite make out the words to. “Mmm…?” 

All this time, and she’s held onto her name. At least there’s that to be grateful for. 

“It’s time to go home, Jinx.” Aura’s voice is gentle.

Zero’s eyelids flutter, slowly easing open over sleep-clouded brown eyes. “Hngh…?” 

There’s the smallest smile, apologetic as it could possibly be, as Aura unfolds the hypnoshades.

“I’m sorry.” 

It’s the most sincere apology she’s ever spoken, and as good a goodbye as any. She slips the shades onto the inkling’s face and clicks them on one final time.

\---

“Radio functional?”

“Check.”

“Weapons ready?” 

“Check.”

“Freshness levels in that Agent outfit~?”

“Off the  _ charts _ .”

“Agent 4, I’d say we’re good to go.” 

There’s a kind of buzz in the air, a bizarre blend of excitement, anxiety, and relief that all of this is finally coming to a close. No matter what happens in this final face-off with DJ Octavio, though, one thing is for absolute certain: Jinx is coming home with them. Today. That fact alone is enough to lift everyone’s spirits - Callie hasn’t stopped  _ moving  _ since she woke up that morning, bouncing on her toes, more or less wiggling to some extent. Ame’s had a smile plastered to his face all day, only taking a break from it to question just what state they’ll find his sister in, but he doesn’t let that keep him down for long. 

As for Marie, she decided to skip her morning coffee - a thing she knows she’ll regret later, but for now, she’s running on that same excited/anxious energy that the NSS seems to be splitting between the three of them. For all of her composure even she finds it difficult to keep her mind off of how she imagines this will go - how she  _ hopes  _ it goes. She mulls over best and worst case scenarios while she packs her charger into Sheldon’s truck and double-checks their communications equipment.

It would be a lie to say that there isn’t dread settling somewhere in the pit of her stomach. Despite all of her confidence that they’re taking Jinx home with them today, the way it played out the last time they ran into her still sticks in the back of her mind. The NSS had been on the wrong end of a demonstration of Agent 3’s capabilities, a mistake that nearly cost them Ame’s life.

They won’t make that mistake again. Marie’s going to make sure of it.

Seconds pass like hours as they make their way to Cephalon HQ. No one says a word. Ame’s boot thumps repetitively against the metal floor in the back of Sheldon’s truck, teeth worrying at his lower lip. Callie scrolls through her phone, but her gaze is distant and she doesn’t seem to actually be paying attention to what’s on her screen. 

Marie paces. Despite the airborne nature of the truck, she can’t help it. 

“Hey.” 

Callie’s voice grabs her attention and she looks up from the floor, locking eyes with her cousin. The smile she gets in return is reassuring, bright and confident. 

“Everything’s gonna be okay, y’know? We’ve got this in the bag!” 

While being optimistic isn’t Marie’s forte, she still offers a half smile back. “I know.”

They land on the platform that leads down into the depths of Octavio’s lair, and one by one (save for Sheldon of course) they slip into the kettle.

If Ame didn’t know any better, he’d think he was walking into a concert and not a life or death battle for the Great Zapfish, Inkopolis, and most importantly his sister. In the very center of the platform there’s a sealed dome, floating on top of a pool of ink while the crowds call excitedly for their leader in stands that wrap around the whole arena. It’s like a sold-out stadium at a Squid Sisters concert. 

Agent 4 takes a deep breath.

“We’ll hang back here and keep an eye out,” Callie pats him on the shoulder. “All three of us going out there, we’d trip over each other.”

“He’s a pushover,” Marie chimes in. It’s been a couple of years since they’ve gone toe to toe with Octavio, of course, and Agent 3 was the one who did most of the fighting, but still. “If Jinx could take him, so can you. Good luck.”

With the excited roar of the crowd calling him out, Ame takes a deep breath and steps into the arena - the stage. From the depths of Octarian ink rises the machine, the Octobot King, revealing the Great Zapfish in the moments before it gets sucked up into the robot. 

From behind the turntables rises the great leader himself, DJ Octavio, wielding wasabi and leaning out over his setup. 

“ _ I’m gonna make calamari outta you! _ ” He announces so confidently, as though he hasn’t been pummeled by the NSS in the past. Like he doesn’t realize what a critical mistake he made, kidnapping the Great Zapfish again and snagging Agent 3 like some kind of consolation prize, an extra ‘up yours’ to the inkling race. 

Agent 4 readies his blaster and slaps on his most self-assured grin, one that’s guaranteed to annoy the old octopus. He’s been waiting for this beatdown all year long. “Bring it on, Wasabi Breath!” 

The Octobot King rises up, Ame runs forward, and the fight is on.

For a League Professional like him, the fight isn’t much to write home about once he gets the rhythm down. He fires blaster shots into the rocket-powered fists as they launch toward him, sending them sailing back to collide with the Octobot, then throws out a curling bomb and swims out of harm’s way through the ink trail it leaves behind. He dodges huge suction bombs, scalding ink showers, and takoyaki fashioned to whip up ink tornadoes. 

Through the whole thing, no matter where he shifts to get a better look around, there’s no sign of his sister.

It takes a direct hit from Ame’s blaster, and one of the flying fists collides with the bot hard enough to knock DJ Octavio out of the cockpit - the impact sends him spiralling into a puddle of ink and Ame wastes no time darting in and grabbing the Octarian tyrant by two of his flailing tentacles. 

It’s a feat easier said than done with all eight of Octavio’s limbs freely lashing about as he attempts to right himself, landing several blows before Ame relinquishes his rapidly slipping grip on the general. He has little time to think before a massive inky body tackles him to the ground. Out of instinct, he rolls backward with the momentum, planting a boot squarely into his assailant’s body and kicking it off with as much force he can muster. The resulting inertia launches Octavio up and over him, but he doesn’t hear the sound of flesh meeting stage.

Ame scrambles to his feet, ignoring the sting of enemy ink on his skin as he tries to regain his bearings. Octavio couldn’t have landed too far away, he’s sure, but the DJ is nowhere to be seen. He turns, scanning left and right for some sign of the Octarian leader, pulse pounding in his ears in rhythm to the beat blaring overhead. The Octobot was still hovering around on standby, but the crowd had gone silent. He couldn’t have fallen off the stage, could he?

_ “Watch out, Agent 4!” _

The audience gasps collectively as blaster fire crackles just to his left, leaving an uncomfortable splash of purple ink on his arm in the wake of the shockwave. Ame whirls just in time to see Callie jump into the fray, knocking the blaster out of Octavio’s tentacles with a flick of her roller and forcing the half-submerged general to leap out of range.

“So we’re gonna play it that way, huh?” the tyrant gurgles, eyeing the two agents now on stage, “Two on one. It’s just like ya slimy cowards to fight dirty.”

Callie discreetly motions for Ame to retrieve his weapon, looking almost uncharacteristically serious as she stares Octavio down, roller at the ready. “I think you know all about fighting dirty, Octavio,” she shoots back, stalling for time while she waits for Ame to back her up. “Where’s Agent 3?”

DJ Octavio chuckles darkly, an unpleasant, gravelly sound that eventually turns into a deep, guttural laugh that resonates through the loudspeakers. “They wanna know where Agent 3 is!” he bellows, “Should we show ‘em?” The audience cheers in response, light sticks waving in a fervor as the Octarian leader works the crowd, arms outstretched and back turned boldly to the two agents.  _ “Should we show ‘em?!” _

**_“YEAHHH!!”_ **

The deafening roar of the crowd around them makes both agents’ proverbial hackles stand on end, working into a veritable shiver as Octavio turns back to them at last. He looks for all the world absolutely smug, as if he’s already won. With a rumbling laugh, the DJ General super jumps from the stage, rocketing back into the cockpit of the Octobot King MKII before either of them can react. 

“Y’all ready?” Octavio shouts, one curled tentacle raised high,“‘Cause it’s time for the grand finale!”

With the smash of a button, the gleaming dome of the Octobot splits open from above in a shower of sparks and colored smoke, revealing a hemispherical stage within the machine’s cranium. And there, standing in the center, is unmistakably Agent 3, Jinx Valente -  _ Subject Zero _ .

**_“It’s SHOWTIIIIIIIME!!”_ **

The agents instantly find themselves on the defensive, barely diving out of range of a supercharged splashdown as Jinx enters the stage. She doesn’t stand on ceremony, quickly pushing off from her landing point to make a beeline for Ame, Octoshot firing. Just above, the bass thrums as Octavio renews his Octobot onslaught.

Agent 4 retreats swiftly, splitting away from Callie and firing his blaster to deter Jinx’s advance as he tries to put some distance between them. “I’ll get Jinx!” he shouts, already leading her away.

“Then I’ve got Octavio!” Callie replies, perhaps a bit too eagerly. Ame flashes her a thumbs up in response, barely dodging a shot in the process.

Except, the only thing Ame is getting, honestly, is a lot of uncomfortably close calls. Jinx fights like a creature possessed, and if it weren’t for every ounce of his league experience being put to use, he’s certain he would’ve been splatted at least a dozen times now. Running, dodging, firing - nothing he does seems to be working. Jinx is hot on his tail, and he can’t seem to find an opening long enough to do any real damage.

Morbidly, he spares a second for the thought that he should really stop seeing her as a child. He doesn’t try talking, doesn’t try reasoning with her - he learned that lesson the hard way, last time they went toe to toe like this, and this time she’s decidedly less forgiving.

“Agent 4,” Marie’s voice crackles through his headset as he dodges another onslaught of ink and dips into a puddle for as long as he can to recover. “I can’t get a lock on her. If you can hold her still, I can--” 

Ame barely has time to slam his finger against the button and cut her off as he reforms. There are a million things he wants to say but what comes out is, “Just get her off me!” 

He swears he can hear the cracking of knuckles as a finger curls up on the proverbial monkey’s paw, for his lack of attention to the fight in that brief moment causes him to miss Jinx as she shifts and shoulder checks him hard. The impact knocks the wind out of him and he loses his footing, slamming into the ground before he can catch himself. Jinx’s knee presses into his chest before he can even think to move, and then--

Then he’s staring down the barrel of an Octoshot.

Up on her perch, Marie watches the whole scene unfold. She knows she only has one chance at this, but she also knows it’s only going to take one good shot - so when the sibling battle draws dangerously close to a victory for Jinx, the hypnotized inkling pinning a winded Ame to the ground and preparing to land the final strike, she takes her opening. She lines up for a headshot and fires.

Ink collides with Jinx’s temple, knocking her off balance and sending the shades clattering to the ground. She staggers back and off of her brother with a warbling groan, dropping her weapon in favor of clutching at her head and sinking to her knees.

No one dares to move for a moment, though all three agents are all too aware that they  _ have to _ , and quickly.

Maybe it’s the adrenaline rush of being so close to success, or the excitement of knowing that Jinx is within arms’ reach, but either way Marie drops down from the platform and sprints to Agent 3’s side. There’s nothing else, no one else - the background noise fades away as she kneels beside her dazed girlfriend. 

“ _ Jinx _ ,” she exhales. The first time she’s been able to breathe, it seems, in months. 

When Jinx looks up to the sound of her name, Marie takes that familiar face in her hands and kisses her. 

\---

Subject Zero doesn’t know where she is.

She doesn’t know how she got there. 

She remembers falling asleep next to Aura, warm and safe in the octoling’s arms. Vaguely, she remembers being somewhere between dreams and the waking world when she heard the gentle call of a name that was so infuriatingly familiar to her and yet still so distant. At the very edge of her memory, barely recognizable through the fog, she swears she can remember two little words. 

_ “I’m sorry.” _

When she opens her eyes and the world around her comes into focus again, her head spinning and aching so badly she wants to be sick, she’s on her knees in the center of a platform. A stage. The Octobot King, General Octavio’s pride and joy, lies sparking and busted up not far away from her and the tyrant in question is out cold. Lying prone before her is the inkling she had taken on at Moray Towers, staring up at her as though he’s seen a ghost.

Her head hurts. Cod, her head  _ hurts _ . 

“ _ Jinx _ .”

She looks up so quickly, it brings another wave of dizziness crashing over her - but that name, she knows it. She doesn’t know how, but intrinsically she  _ knows  _ it belongs to her, and she needs to see who’s speaking it.

Zero’s stomach drops and her heart leaps into her throat when she sees the inkling kneeling beside her, one she’s seen in so many dreams. One whose voice is as familiar as a favorite song to her - one with silvery tentacles and sleepy-looking golden eyes, and one who takes her face and kisses her. The kind of kiss that suggests she’s been poisoned and the only antidote rests on Zero’s lips.

Two worlds crash into each other in that moment, so hard that she can see the cracks around the edges and how they splinter from the impact. What she can’t see is where one ends and the other begins - it’s nothing but a jumbled, fuzzy mess. 

For one single, beautiful moment, she is Jinx Valente, and she’s kissing Marie Cuttlefish - the girl of her dreams, the one whose laugh brings light into her bad moods, whose arms hold her when she’s scared. 

Then they break apart, and she is Subject Zero, looking at a complete stranger - before her vision fades to black again.

Marie catches Jinx as the inkling slumps against her, and for one terrifying moment she has to ask herself if the temple shot actually killed her girlfriend. She’s spared the panic, though, when she notices the rise and fall of Jinx’s chest. 

Rolling onto his stomach and pushing himself up onto his knees, Ame moves in after seconds that pass like hours of doing nothing but watching. Waiting, to see if it’s clear and safe to approach, and finally reaching out to touch his sister’s face. 

“Is she okay?” He tries not to sound too desperate for good news. 

Marie nods, tapping into her earpiece to call their ride. “Looks like it. Sheldon, we’ve got Agent 3 - we need you down here.” 

Before Ame can start crying like a sentimental jerk, Callie suddenly appears beside them - her splat roller slung over one shoulder, a crudely hog-tied Octavio under the other arm. “Hey guys! Uh, I hate to break up this really nice moment, but we gotta go!” She throws a quick glance over her shoulder. “Like,  _ now _ . Before security gets here.” 

“Oh. Shit.” Ame pushes himself up, reaching for the unconscious form of Agent 3. Before he can try to take her, the telltale glow of superjump indicators begin to appear across the stage - and he’s not an idiot. Chargers are not meant for crowd control. He exchanges glances with Marie, who’s already on her feet and pulling Jinx up into her arms as Sheldon pulls up as close as he dares.

Agent 4 picks up his blaster, prepared to fight. “Get her to the truck, I’ll cover you!” 

Marie doesn’t need to be told twice. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't take credit for the fight scene. Teapot wrote that. <3
> 
> Two weeks to the finale!!! I'm excited. Are you excited?


	19. Rebuild

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, guys. I can't believe it. 
> 
> I can't believe I'm posting the final chapter of HypnoTech. I can't believe we made it this far. Give yourselves a pat on the back - you took this journey with me, and without your support, I never would've crossed the finish line.
> 
> If you haven't shown Teapot some love yet, please. Please go do it. Go on over to http://illuthra.tumblr.com and appreciate this stellar human being, my partner in crime, parent to the Octoling Elites and co-parent of this story. I couldn't have done it without them. 
> 
> I love you all. Please enjoy. <3

_ Rebuild _

Getting Jinx back turns out to be a task that none of them could’ve prepared for. Of all the scenarios any of the agents may have dreamed up, the truth that unfolds is far more horrifying.

From the second she opens her eyes, it’s clear that the solution isn’t going to be as simple as removing the hypnoshades. Waking up in the back of Sheldon’s truck, her head nestled comfortably in Marie’s lap, the situation turns sour quickly - Jinx is frantic, on her feet in an instant and  _ growling  _ in Octarian, eyes darting from Marie to Callie, and then Ame.

None of them speak enough Octarian to understand what she’s so upset about, but when it becomes clear that she’s patting herself down in search of a weapon, Ame takes some initiative and does what any good agent - or older brother - would do. 

It takes some effort but she’s exhausted, and he’s able to wrestle Agent 3 to the floor, pin her arms to her sides with his knees, and sit on her. No matter how she squirms or how loudly she protests, it’s an age-old tactic and Ame has lots of practice perfecting it.

“ _ You are such an ASS, Ame! _ ” 

He imagines he can hear her saying that like she always used to, but all he gets for his efforts at reminding her who he is are what he can only imagine are curses in a tongue he doesn’t recognize. He looks up to the Squid Sisters for guidance, but both of them look like their resolve has been shaken a little. 

“Her head’s probably still scrambled up,” Callie offers. “I’m sure once we get her back home, things will mellow out and she’ll come back to her senses!”

Ame holds onto that optimism as tightly as he can. 

The first week is a bit of a waking nightmare. Jinx isn’t herself, not by a long shot - she hardly speaks to any of them, shooting glares in Ame’s direction when he tries to talk to her. It makes things a little awkward since he insisted on her staying with him for a while, just until she gets some of her memories back in order. It’s like an alien has inhabited his sister’s body. It’s frustrating, and it hurts the way she looks right through him.

The only person she doesn’t seem to be totally upset with is Marie, whom she stares at like she’s trying to place in a puzzle. 

He doesn’t realize just how apt that is. 

She has a hard time responding to anyone who calls her name. ‘Jinx’ sounds right, but she’s been Subject Zero - Zero - Z, for so long now that it takes an extra minute for her to connect. The three people she’s been spending the most time around - Callie, Marie, and Ame - have to call to her a few times in a row before she lifts her head. It feels horrible, because somewhere inside of her she  _ knows  _ them. 

She recognizes their faces, the timbre of their voices. She wants to lean into the hugs that Ame tries to give her but it’s like she has no control of herself when she squirms out of the embraces instead. When Marie looks at her Jinx sees hesitation there, and a tautness to her shoulders that suggests she’s holding back the urge to move closer. 

Considering the way the older inkling kissed her before, coupled with the dreams she remembers so vividly during her stay underground, it’s no mystery what’s going on there.

It’s all so much jumbled together in a tangled mess in her brain, and while she’s desperate for help cleaning up the mess, all she wants for that first week is for everyone to leave her alone. Unfortunately, they refuse - none of them trust her. 

“We trust you just fine,” Ame insists. “I just don’t want you to get lost in the city, or--” 

“Try to escape?” She snarks back, the Inklish coming back to her like second nature. She hates the way it tastes on her tongue. 

Ame frowns at her, and she can’t tell if he’s offended or irritated with her. It’s only been a week and she’s already managed to push all of his buttons. “I’m just looking out for you. You gotta trust me, Jinx.”

_ Trust me. _ She finds those two words settle like ice in her hearts and she doesn’t want to - not him, not anyone.

She asks about her friends because no matter how much time she spends around the Squid Sisters and her brother, she can’t help the lonely ache in her hearts. She wonders about Zuri and Rika, about Lena. “They don’t know what happened.” She tries not to sound desperate. “They’ll be worried about me. There’s gotta be some way I can contact them.”

When she brings it up in the middle of the week, Marie’s mouth presses into a thin line and her brow furrows. She pointedly doesn’t look up from the script she’s poring over. 

“There isn’t.” She turns a page, avoiding cutting words like ‘if they were worried, they’d have come after you.’ That would be the opposite of kind, and the last thing they want to do is alienate Jinx. “Let it go for now. Focus on you, on sorting out your thoughts.”

The lack of answers is just as helpful as the words Marie won’t say. It’s like Jinx is in a love-hate relationship with her own existence, and she’s the only one fighting. She has aches in her body and a fog in her brain, and for all accounts when she doesn’t feel angry she’s just… empty.

Callie approaches her when she finally frees herself from Ame’s watchful eye, on a Sunday afternoon - the end of that first awful week - with a bright smile and her usual bubbly personality. Jinx wants to be more excited to see her, and somewhere in the back of her mind she is, but she’s still as wary as she would be talking to a total stranger. At least around Callie, she doesn’t feel as on-edge.

“Hey, let’s get some lunch!” She says. “We’ve got a ton to catch up on. My treat!” 

Jinx’s reluctance is short-lived, because what else is she going to do with her free time? She grabs a hoodie reflexively, calling out over her shoulder that she’s going out with Callie and not waiting for a response.

They go to Crusty Sean’s food truck in the middle of Inkopolis Square and Callie orders them a couple of deep-fried galactic schwaffles - which she insists are one of Jinx’s favorites - before settling down at a table just behind Jelfonzo’s shop. Even with the Squid Sister in disguise, there’s always the chance of being spotted, and besides that they’re both far too aware that Jinx shouldn’t be talking to anyone who might recognize her.

For a minute or two they eat in awkward silence, save for the usual bustle of the square around them. 

“Y’know,” Callie speaks up at last, wiping some whipped cream from the corner of her mouth. “It’s still so surreal to have you back home. I missed just doin’ this with you.” 

Jinx pokes at her food, making a gentle noise of acknowledgement. She doesn’t say anything. 

“How are you feeling?” 

It’s such a simple question but it feels like a punch directly to her gut, knocking the wind out of her. Despite how hungry she is, she can’t help the nausea that rises up in the back of her throat - in the back of her head she only hears those words in Aura’s voice. The immediate reaction is to say she’s fine, but it would be a lie, and somehow she knows that Callie won’t believe it.

Still, for all the words in Jinx’s head - dizzy, scared, upset, frustrated - nothing really fits the truth. 

“Bad,” she says. It’s the biggest understatement she thinks she’s ever made. 

Callie’s smile is so warm, and so apologetic. “It’ll get better!” She says. “This is just the first week. I’m sure things will even out--” 

Jinx snorts and shoots an irritated look across the table. “Are you?” She doesn’t mean to snap, and the way her friend recoils makes her immediately guilty. “Sorry. I’m just… not so sure.” Dropping her gaze back down to the barely-touched schwaffle in front of her, she taps her plastic fork against the plate. 

It takes just a second for the other girl to perk back up. “That’s okay. Lucky for you, I’ve got enough confidence for the both of us.”

Another moment of quiet. 

“Oh!” Callie wiggles in her chair a bit, squirming so she can dig something out of her pocket. “Almost forgot, I picked this up for you!” She sets a cell phone on the table, nudging it across the metal, and Jinx vaguely recognizes the bright purple casing. “We found it in the alley, I kept it charged for ya!” 

Jinx takes the phone like it’s going to shatter and fall apart in her hands. Gingerly, pulling it toward herself and cradling it in her palm. She taps the screen with her thumb and watches it light up, sees the background image - a selfie of a pair of grinning inklings, Callie and one with purple tentacles and bronze skin smiling brightly into the camera. They look so unbelievably happy that it makes her chest feel hollow.

She can’t imagine feeling like that now, looking up at her best friend -  _ Jinx’s  _ best friend - and feeling instead like they’re a million miles apart.

“...why did you keep it charged?” There are a million questions, so she settles on that one. 

Callie’s expression only falters a tiny bit, barely catchable. “In case you called.” 

“In case I--?”

“We didn’t know where you were, but we figured, if you could get to a phone you’d...y’know. Reach out to us.” Her smile brightens again. “It was Marie’s idea.” 

No matter how she runs the formulas through her head, Jinx can’t come up with an answer that makes sense. At least, the side of her that barely remembers her connection to these people can’t. “You-- you didn’t know if-- if I was alive. Where I was. What would happen.”

Callie shrugs like it’s the easiest thing in the world to say: “We knew you were alive. You’re Agent 3, silly, we had total faith in you!”

Before she realizes what she’s doing, Jinx lifts the heel of her palm and scrubs tears out of her eyes. She hears the scraping of metal against concrete and doesn’t register movement until Callie’s arms are around her and her face is pressed into her friend’s shoulder, her arms lifting of their own accord to curl around the older girl and squeeze for all she’s worth. 

It’s the first real hug she’s allowed herself since she stepped foot in Inkopolis and she clings to it like she’ll fall apart if she lets go. She forgets they’re sitting at a table in the square until she pulls back and realizes that the arm of her chair has been digging into her stomach. Callie keeps hands on her shoulders though, not letting her get too far and for that she’s grateful as she wipes her leaking eyes on the sleeve of her hoodie. 

Her phone is still clutched tightly in her other hand. 

“I won’t pressure you or anything, but I really think you should talk about what happened.” Callie says gently, groping around behind her with one hand for her chair and dragging it loudly across the ground. She settles in, taking the phone from her friend’s hand and replacing it with hers. The other comes down from Jinx’s shoulder and she just squeezes as comfortingly as she can. “It would help us all understand. Maybe we can help.”

Jinx’s voice is thick and wet, and she tries not to sound too negative. She fails, but an attempt is made. “I don’t know  _ how _ ,” she says. “I don’t know how to explain it.” She can tell the story, of course - that’s easy enough. But describing the potent blend of emotions she’s experiencing is another battle entirely. 

“Give it a try?” Callie scoots closer. “I won’t judge.” 

Damp brown eyes watch her friend for a minute, as she gauges just how air-tight that promise is. She takes a deep breath and sniffles a bit, clearing her throat to try and speak more clearly. 

“I don’t… feel like Jinx.” Her stomach twists up in knots as she talks. “I don’t feel like whoever they made me down there, either. I don’t feel like anyone. But at the same time, it’s like I’m… both?” It sounds even more idiotic spoken aloud, but there’s no sign of disbelief or condesce on Callie’s face. 

While she may not understand, Callie nods along. 

“...I want my friends back.” Jinx can’t help the misery in that statement, no matter how hard she tries to hold it in. “Zuri, Rika, Lena--” Her tongue feels too thick, fresh tears coming to her eyes before she can stumble over that last name. The one that haunts her, the one that belongs to the person she keeps waking up and reaching for. Sweeping her palm over the unfamiliar sheets, searching for another warm body that was never too far from her.

All she gets is empty space. 

Callie opens her mouth to speak, hesitating a little but pushing on. “These are people you met while you were being brainwashed...?”

“They’re real. Even if nothing else was, they are.” Jinx kneads at her temple, where a headache is starting to form. “They have to be, don’t they?” If they aren’t, that means that all this trouble is for nothing, and she doesn’t think she could handle that.

Something in the increasing urgency of Jinx’s tone has Callie giving her hand another little squeeze. “I believe you,” she promises. The way a best friend is supposed to, when they see things going downhill. “And Jinx, I’m always here if you wanna talk--” 

As though Murphy’s Law is set in motion, her phone starts ringing in her pocket - an 8-bit tune that Jinx doesn’t recognize. Callie frees a hand to fish it out, checking the screen and making a face. “That’s my producer. Guess we’re doing a shoot today, I totally spaced.” When she looks back to her friend, there’s an apologetic smile on her face. 

“I’m sorry. I have to go.” 

Jinx nods and swallows past the lump in her throat, biting back the urge to hold onto Callie’s hand. She lets it slip away and forces herself to snap the lid back on the box of emotions she’s just barely begun to explain. 

“Will you be okay?” There’s genuine concern in the question and Jinx just nods again. Unconvinced but left without much choice, Callie gives her hand one more little squeeze before slipping away. “I’ll text you after the shoot, alright?”

She doesn’t say ‘goodbye,’ but maybe it’s for the better - Jinx isn’t sure she could handle that word right now. She takes a deep breath that hurts her lungs, stares at the untouched galactic schwaffle in front of her, and pushes it out of the way. 

Ame shows up to get her before she can even think about making a break for the sewer grate.

Week two starts off just as miserably as the last. Living with Ame has been nothing but awkward, with him constantly looking at her like he’s waiting for her to suddenly have a revelation and crawl into his arms like a lost puppy. It’s gotten so bad that she’s sort of hoping it’ll play out like that, just to get it over with and make him stop  _ staring  _ at her. 

It’s not like she isn’t trying. She waits a few days after the return of her phone to actually look at it, a task she saves for a sleepless night when she gets sick of tossing and turning. At least the phone is more interesting than the ceiling, and Jinx lays on her side and starts digging through the photo reels for some clues on the inkling who owns the damn phone. 

Mostly they’re selfies, photos she took from the top of buildings, hanging out on precarious ledges over the busy city of Inkopolis. There’s a few shots of food, some of Callie and some of Ame, several more of her with inklings she doesn’t recognize at all - each one in coveralls and caps that all brandish the same logo, grinning and laughing despite being splattered with green slime. 

She stares at them until her eyes burn from the light of the little screen, clawing at the back of her brain for answers. Names, voices, anything of value to piece her life back together - she has to put the phone face-down on the bed beside her long enough to rub at her eyelids, her vision blurry for far longer than it should be when she opens her eyes again. She was hoping her eyesight would go back to normal at some point, after the Hypnoshades malfunctioned, but idly she realizes that it’s only getting worse.

Taking another deep breath, Jinx picks the phone up again and keeps looking. 

There are  _ so many  _ pictures of Marie. It’s unreal. Most of them are definitely posed for, but there are a few candid shots - each one catching her in a moment of peace, or with her brows knitted together in focus, with the odd smile that seems so much more sincere than those in the pictures she was ready for. Jinx recognizes the tugging at her heart strings, considering how often it happened with Aura. This is different, though. None of this belongs to Zero. This feeling is all hers, and she gets just a moment’s peace to let it run away with her. 

Only a moment, though, before something in her head says,  _ but where are the pictures of Aura? _

She turns the phone off and resists the urge to throw it across the room. Callie worked so hard to keep it nice for her. Callie is so kind, she can understand now why they’re best friends. Callie deserves a better friend than Zero - she deserves  _ Jinx _ . 

Jinx is who everyone wants back, and for the last week and a half she’s felt like all she’s doing is wearing the moniker. The lines between that and Subject Zero are so blurred, lives and memories tangled in an indistinguishable mush.

Aura would know what to do. Aura always knew what to do. She knows it won’t help her “recovery,” but she indulges in picturing it - in pretending the octoling is there with her, pulling her close and kissing her forehead. She strains to hear that voice whispering in her ear, soothing her, telling her to rest. Telling her everything will be alright. 

Aura promised not to leave her. 

Now that she’s here, on the surface, each day that passes brings her a little closer to the realization that maybe it was a lie.

Jinx doesn’t want to think about that. She curls her body tightly around a pillow, buries her face against it, and tries to will herself to sleep.

That second week drags on in a haze she barely remembers, the routine simple and awful in its own way. Ame drags her out of bed in the morning because he has practice, or turf war, or something else - he either forces her to go with him, or passes her off to a Squid Sister who isn’t busy. One day he even asked the horseshoe crab who ran Ammo Knights if there were any jobs she could do for him, a can of worms she didn’t even want to open.

It’s no mystery that she’s being babysat, and while the same was true underground, she feels a lot less like a person and a lot more like a toddler here. 

The afternoons she spends with Marie are by far the hardest. They barely speak to each other. Marie busies herself with little tasks around the apartment, things like picking up clutter in the living room and making coffee, and she steps around Jinx in as wide a circle as the space allows. It’s confusing when the last interaction they had involved lips against lips, kissing like the world was ending, and now there’s only accidental brushes of hands or hips in the hallway.

Jinx doesn’t get it. She has all the evidence on her phone, the barest blurry images in her head, and yet the way things unfold in real time contradict it all. 

Aren’t they supposed to be in love? 

She doesn’t ask. They spend their time together in that horrible awkward silence.

A month goes by and very little changes, save for the severity of Jinx’s body aches and the worsening of her vision. Callie is the only person she can tolerate being around, the only one she’s almost told everything to by that point. She wishes like nothing else that she could spend all of her time around her best friend, and she imagines Rika and Zuri would adore her too.

The more she opens up to Callie though, the more vivid her dreams get. They don’t always make sense, and sometimes they’re a cacophonous blend of her surface life and the one she lived at Cephalon HQ. People and places her Jinx Brain recognizes that her Zero Brain can’t place, and refuses to accept no matter how loudly the other side screams. 

The first real change happens early one morning, before the sun’s up, after a particularly awful nightmare. 

Screaming. Splitting pain in her skull, the tang of blood in her mouth, her muscles seized and convulsing. The robotic chant of  _ ERROR ERROR ERROR  _ is still echoing around in her head when she stumbles out of bed and makes her way down the hall on auto-pilot, pushing her way into Ame’s bedroom without a second thought. 

“Ame,” she calls into the darkness, in a voice she barely recognizes. She’s so tired, she’s so sore, and she isn’t sure what to call the last feeling hovering around that says  _ I want my big brother. _

Covers shift and a messy head of tentacles pops up from the pillow, azure eyes faintly luminous in the dark. “Hnng… Jinx?” He pushes himself up into a sitting position, squinting at her in a daze. “‘Sup?” 

Jinx can feel the burning of tears in her eyes, the film of them blurring her vision as she moves forward without being invited. She follows her feet, her body, as she crawls onto the mattress and begins settling herself down against the pillows. When she looks up, she sees him - Ame Valente, her big brother, the one who’s always been there for her when she needs him. The one who dragged himself to Hell and back just to pull her out of what he must have imagined was a nightmare. 

She  _ sees _ him.

“I had a bad dream,” Jinx says. When her voice breaks, so does the dam keeping her tears from overflowing. 

It doesn’t take more than a second for Ame to react. He watches her dissolve into a sobbing mess, wraps some of the blanket around her, and lies down so he can better pull her into his arms. For the first time in months, he finally feels like his baby sister has come home. 

“It’s okay, kid.” Ame makes gentle shushing noises against her crown, rubbing her back in slow motions. “I’m here. Nothing’s gonna hurt you.” 

It’s good progress. Unfortunately, it’s the only true progress she shows. 

After a lot of conversations with Callie about it, Jinx sees it like a giant suitcase that’s stuffed far too full. The contents are that ungodly blend of two people, the life she was living as Subject Zero for a whole year fighting to share space with 18 years of Jinx Valente. It’s astounding to her that so much could happen in so little time, enough to do battle with everything else. 

There isn’t enough room in the suitcase for everything, though, and so she’s been trying to sort it all out. To put things away on shelves in her mind, to organize and clean it up, but she inevitably hits a roadblock when she realizes there are too many Things and too few mental shelves. Too many proverbial socks with no twin to match up. No space in the trash bin for the Subject Zero bits she doesn’t need, and no space for the things she desperately wants to hold onto. 

It’s absolute torture, only made worse by the dreaded weight of being asked if she’s “remembered anything else.” 

Two months go by and there’s still only a fraction of Jinx that’s come back to her. It’s starting to get unbearable for everyone involved. After that night, Ame starts urging her to go back home with him to Barnacle Bay, to visit their siblings who have all missed their sister so much, the ones whose names are still foggy for her. She tries to tell him that, and he makes a face like she was taking a baseball bat to his knees. 

She takes everything out on Marie one day, by complete accident. 

Somewhere along the line, awkward silence settled into amicable silence. They start speaking one or two words at a time, never anything of substance, but it’s still nice to hear Marie’s voice. So when Jinx hopes she’s finally found another person she can feel safe around and things shift, it breaks her. 

“So, how’s sorting your thoughts working out?” 

It’s not accusatory, it’s not aggressive, and it’s not a snide remark. Despite all this, the instant she hears the question, Jinx’s chest tightens and her outburst is more than uncalled for. 

“ _ Would everyone just stop asking me that?! _ ” She starts in, reminiscent of temper tantrums she’s thrown in the not-so-distant past. “It’s not, okay? It’s not working out! I’m doing everything I can trying to pick through this fucking--” 

The pacing begins, one end of the room to the other, though the space is a bit bigger than her shared room with Zuri and Rika was. 

“--this  _ fucking mess _ , I’m doing the best I can--!”

The response is so shocking, so uncharacteristic of her girlfriend - Marie takes a step back, silent as she looks on in mild horror. Importantly, she listens, pays attention to the disjointed sentences Jinx is blurting out. 

“There’s just - there’s so much  _ crap  _ in here!” The distressed inkling presses a hand against her head, drops it to her side again, pulls her tentacles back but doesn’t tie them there, letting them fall back over her shoulders. “There’s so much, there’s so many-- so many  _ things _ , and I don’t know what belongs to  _ me  _ and what belongs to  _ Subject Zero,  _ and I’m trying-- I’m working so hard, please, I promise I’m trying--!”

Her voice cracks like she’s going to cry, eyes misty and threatening to spill over, but she holds it back. Her pacing picks up speed until Marie worries she’s going to start a fire with the friction on the carpet. 

“I’m trying to find  _ places  _ for everything, but there’s just--”

Marie takes a deep breath. “Jinx…” 

“--There’s just no space, there’s no  _ room _ for it all, there’s things I can’t forget even if I  _ wanted  _ to, and--” 

“Jinx.” 

“--and none of these socks  _ fucking match _ !”

With that final nonsensical announcement, Jinx stops where she is and, perhaps over dramatically, sinks to her knees on the floor. She bows her head and her shoulders shake, but there’s no whimpering or crying to be heard as she wraps her arms around herself and squeezes.

Waiting a moment to be sure the storm has passed, Marie takes the few steps toward Jinx as carefully as she can. She calls out softly, easing herself down onto the floor beside her companion, reaching out with gentle fingers to rest on Jinx’s shoulder. The younger girl doesn’t flinch.

She has no idea what matching socks have to do with anything, she lost that metaphor before it even really landed. The thought crosses her mind for the first time that they’ve all been so excited to have Jinx home, so eager to get back to life the way they remember it, that maybe they’ve been rushing her. Pressuring her like a foil squeezer, and the simple nudge popped the cork.

“I’m sorry,” Marie says. When it gets her no response, she continues. “I know you’re trying. We all do.” 

Jinx’s voice warbles when she finally speaks again. “Everyone’s just sitting around  _ watching  _ me try to-- try to sort all this crap.” She shakes her head a little, fingertips digging into her mantle like she’s trying to stimulate coherent thought. “You’re all just watching and telling me to get my shit together, you’re acting like I’m-- like you think I don’t  _ care _ \--” 

The hand on her shoulder moves slowly, trying not to spook her as Marie traces fingertips oh so lightly up and down her spine. She leaves the space open for Jinx to vent, biting her tongue against the arguments she wants to make. The ones that won’t do any good, they’ll only make the situation worse, and they definitely won’t assuage her own guilt at realizing she’s part of the problem.

“You keep looking at me like you want me to be someone else.” 

When Jinx looks up at last, there are tear stains on her face and all Marie wants to do is hold her. Toss off her pride like yesterday’s fashion, drag the younger girl close to her chest, kiss her face and apologize. She doesn’t do any of that, holding strong, because there may be more to hear. She’s hoping there’s more.

“I need  _ help _ , Marie. I can’t  _ do this _ by myself.” 

There it is. The sign she’s been waiting for. Still unsure about invading personal space too quickly, the pop star shifts just enough so that she can open her arms. An invitation, a show of vulnerability - however small. 

At first, she’s worried Jinx won’t take it. An embarrassingly long moment passes where they just stare at each other, one sizing the other up, gauging if there’s an ulterior motive or if this is nothing but a platitude. Finally, arms are filled.  _ Finally _ , Marie can feel the warmth and weight of Jinx against her chest, tuck her partner’s head beneath her chin, give and receive some semblance of comfort. 

It’s been an entire year, and they’re finally close to each other again. If she were a more emotional inkling, Marie imagines she’d cry. 

The dampness on her cheeks, that’s just a trick of the light. 

“You don’t have to put it all away now.” She kisses the top of Jinx’s head, speaking words that in retrospect should have been said weeks ago. “We can start chipping away at it tomorrow. We can talk about it.” 

The fact of the matter is, Marie hasn’t  _ wanted  _ to talk about it. The realization dawns on her like a cold splash of reality - all she’s wanted to do since the second they got back to Inkopolis, is forget this whole mess ever happened. She has no idea how Jinx has been living for the last year, her only clue being the scrambled mess of the girl’s brain. 

“It’s okay,” Marie says with gentle confidence. 

All Jinx has done is forget things. She doesn’t trust herself with memories, doesn’t trust they won’t slip through her fingers like sand. Here and now, she tucks herself up closer against Marie. She presses her face into the crook of Marie’s neck and breathes in a scent that’s so familiar, it permeated her dreams when she didn’t even know her own name. She feels the way arms fit around her and make her feel safe, make her feel like  _ home _ . 

It’s not perfect. It’s not fixed. Everything isn’t magically better. 

What it is, is a place to start.


	20. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tying up loose ends. 
> 
> Jinx learns to let go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!!! Surprise! There's an epilogue!
> 
> I was sitting on this for a bit, and I wanted to get it out for y'all to enjoy. <3 Just a few things that'll round out the story nicely. Plus, it'll end at a nice even 20 chapters. I hope you like it!

_ Epilogue _

When she looks back on it all, Jinx can’t believe it’s been an entire year. 

The process has been slow and, at times, painful. There have been days when she wakes up ready to face the world, bright and full of energy, recognizing every single face she sees - she calls those days ‘Jinx days.’ She calls her sisters back home in Barnacle Bay, she goes to cheer Ame on at his League matches and they go for lunch afterward - it’s all so blissfully normal, like the time she spent underground never happened. They’re the kind of days she cherishes.

On the other hand, there are the Bad Days. Mornings that roll in like a heavy fog over her mind, when she can’t recall where she is and doesn’t recognize her own four walls - or the inkling sleeping beside her. She crawls out of bed and tries not to let the panic set in, gaze unable to settle on any one thing, goes to the bathroom and does her tentacles up like she always used to. Pinned up, suction cups facing out on either side, the part in her fringe side-swept. 

When Subject Zero stares back at her from the mirror and the anxiety finally fades, she knows it’s going to be a Bad Day.

As the year goes by, the Bad Days grow more and more sparse, and if it weren’t for her friends, she would never have reached this point. 

Marie, specifically, has been at her side as often as possible - she is a busy squid, but whenever it’s feasible she makes sure she’s nearby. It’s been a learning curve for both of them, finding out what sets Jinx off and how to pull her back into the here and now. The hardest part by far is putting away her frustration on the Bad Days; it isn’t that her anger is loud or destructive, quite the opposite, but it slips out in short sentences and a little too much snark here and there, and her partner is sensitive to it. 

Though she’s reached the point where she can stave off the worst of it most times, every now and then she has to slip away to Octo Canyon and use the balloons as target practice until she’s calm again. If a stray charger shot splatters ink all over DJ Octavio’s snowglobe prison on occasion, well, who can blame her? 

The night they realize they’ve reached the other side of the curve is a mild one at the tail end of spring, somewhere between a Jinx Day and a Bad Day. They take an old blanket and a backpack full of snacks and wait until midnight, when they sneak through the weak security outside of Moray Towers and climb up to where the inactive spawner awaits the morning’s turf wars. Perched so high on the parking garage, staring out into the distance at the city lights with the blanket of stars above. 

Every day they inch closer and closer toward normalcy. This is the biggest step they’ve taken so far. Marie sits on the blanket with her legs crossed, leaning back and admiring the sky, Jinx stretched out beside her with her hands behind her head. They share juice boxes like five year olds and trace constellations, and Jinx tells stories about her younger siblings - how Squirt would try to pick stars out of the nebula cast across his ceiling by an old galaxy lamp Ame had given him. Marie recounts all the nights she and Callie would go star-gazing like this, back when they were kids in Calamari County, dreaming of moving to the city and chasing piles of dreams that at times still seemed too good to be true.

When Marie looks down to see the contented smile on Jinx’s face, she catches the glimmer of those specific luminous freckles on her tentacles. The ones that glow just like stars, mirroring those above, and that swell of emotion and over-the-top romantic thoughts creep up and rest at the back of her throat. Wanting to be spoken, held back only by her fear of sounding absolutely ridiculous. Then she remembers while she’s lost in that thought, that she promised herself she wouldn’t keep those kinds of things inside anymore. 

Losing Jinx wasn’t a wake-up call, per se, but not having her partner around took more out of her life than she’d thought it would. She owes it to their relationship to stop assuming that Jinx knows how much she cares. 

So when brown eyes finally catch amber staring back at her and Jinx tips her head in question, Marie lets the words come out without taking the time to think. 

“You have galaxies inside you,” she says. It sounds just as stupid as she worried it would and she sits there thinking about it, about how to make it sound more romantic, less hopeless,  _ anything _ . 

Then Jinx’s grin gets wider. She runs a hand over her face and covers her mouth, stifling the laughter that’s already starting to bubble up, and when she rolls onto her stomach she presses her face against Marie’s thigh. Her shoulders tremble with the giggles she’s trying to hold back. Despite herself, Marie cracks a smile too, resting a hand on the back of her partner’s head and sitting up a bit. 

“Okay, so maybe that didn’t land right, but.” 

“No,” Jinx shakes her head, squirming and shifting until she can wrap her arms around Marie’s waist and nuzzle into the fabric of her hoodie. “It did. Perfect landing, ten outta ten. That was just so  _ cheesy _ . Where did you even read that?” Though it’s impossible to keep the smile out of her voice.

Any hesitations Marie had at first about the silly thoughts dissolves in the wake of affection it’s won her. “Excuse me, I came up with that. I’m very poetic.” She smooths the back of her hand across Jinx’s crown, down the back of her neck. 

Jinx doesn’t miss a beat, continuing to move, finally coming to rest with her head in Marie’s lap. Gazing up at the Squid Sister with all the adoration she can possibly muster, and it’s cavity-inducing. 

“I love you,” she says. She says it with words instead of actions, confident even though it’s a bit outside of her comfort zone, as though she’s putting herself out there for judgment just as Marie had. The gesture doesn’t go unnoticed. 

In turn, Marie’s smile grows warm and affectionate, and she cradles Jinx’s face in her hands before leaning down to kiss her. She isn’t particularly good at expressing feelings in the same way, but she does her best to convey her truth right back: 

_ I love you, too. _

\---

The hardest thing that Jinx has to let go of is Aura. There’s no getting around it, no shaking the truth - it’s the elephant in the room, the unspoken taboo that she so desperately wants to know about. A craving that’s always there, like how the scent of a cigarette might set off a monstrous need inside of a former smoker, whenever she wakes up scared or confused she reaches for Aura. Panics when there’s no one there. 

The longer it goes on, the more ardent the ache, the more she knows it’s  _ wrong.  _ It’s wrong, and it’s not fair to Callie or Ame, and especially not Marie - the one who would pull her close and hum to calm her down, if she just asks. An entire year and she still struggles with it, despite everything, all the progress she’s made.

The breeze through the floating rocks of Octo Canyon carries on it a bittersweet kind of feeling, as Jinx stands there near the edge of the Tentakeel Outpost and peers down toward the clusters of cities she knows reside below. She thinks about the base, the hallways she used to wander, ones she could still navigate with ease if she were there again. 

Her friends.

Zuri, loud and strong with a heart of gold. Always ready to help her out, even if it came with a well-deserved roasting. 

Rika, tiny but mighty, more than willing to take down people twice her size and chuck them into the trash can. Fiercely protective and adorable, pressing little kisses to her cheeks when she was particularly glum. 

Lena… well, it isn’t like Jinx knew Lena all that well, but there was always something about her that just felt Right. 

She loved them all, and of course she misses them, but still her mind sticks like glue to the only one whose intentions are in question.

Aura. 

As the sun sets over the outpost, Jinx closes her eyes and feels the way the breeze makes her tentacles sway. She takes a deep breath, takes a step back and away from the edge so she can sit down, and fishes around in the pocket of her sweatpants until she can pull out one cracked and non-functioning pair of sunglasses.

She’s kept the hypnoshades. All this time, she’s kept them - a secret from everyone. It’s not like they work. It isn’t as though she could put them back on and disappear underground again, and she wouldn’t even if she could. They’re nothing more than a reminder of the life she had, when she was forced to be a weapon and yet still she was surrounded by people who cared about her. Who wanted to see her flourish and thrive in a place she didn’t belong. 

Every time she looks at the cracked lenses, all she can see is Aura’s delicate fingers wrapped around them, slipping them into a pocket or offering them to her. Tugging them off of Jinx’s brow. Assuring her that she doesn’t need to use them, despite a few slips where it was “necessary” to do so. 

Jinx still hears her voice as clear as day, the words ringing in her mind. The ones where Aura promised not to leave her. She still can’t decide if, technically, it was never a  _ broken  _ promise if she was the one who disappeared. Not that it matters much, in the end, as the only thing she has left to even prove Aura was real is this pair of useless shades; technology as warped and broken as she had been a year ago. 

The ache isn’t so bad anymore, little more than a phantom pain that gets her every now and then. After all this time, Jinx supposes, it’s finally time to let it go. Reeling back, she chucks the hypnoshades as hard as she can, watching them as they sail over the edge and plummet down toward the domes far below. There’s no satisfying ‘clank’ing noise, no indication that they ever hit bottom, but at least it makes her feel just a little bit better--

\--Though, there  _ is  _ a soft sound coming from behind her. Jinx feels her shoulders tense as she recognizes it, the gentle tapping of a handle on a kettle as one begins to quiver to life. On her feet in an instant, she grabs the old Hero Shot at her side and whips around to point it directly at the mesh of the active kettle. The door to the domes. What octo was really dumb enough to make their way this close to the surface? Surely, they must not be looking for a fight, not with Octavio trapped here near Inkopolis.

Through the grate, there’s a splash of dark purple ink. An indigo shade that triggers something in Jinx, launches her heart directly into her throat as the ink takes shape. Though everything in her is telling her it’s impossible, it can’t be, there’s  _ no way _ \- despite that, it’s barely a second before there’s an octoling stepping off of the kettle. 

An octoling with dark tentacles that fade into purple at the tips, vermillion eyes staring in surprise at the weapon pointed directly at her and sparkling with laughter, and a broad smile that Jinx would recognize even at the bottom of the darkest trench. 

Zuri Visana is standing there in front of her with hands on her hips, looking like she’s just found a long-lost sunken treasure. 

“You’re not gonna shoot me, are ya Z? I just got here!” She opens her arms. 

Jinx is still in shock but her feet take her forward anyway, the clatter of carbon on concrete as the Hero Shot hits the ground and she leaps full-force into Zuri’s arms. Squeezing around her neck, warbling and laughing and  _ crying  _ and it’s a mess. She’s a mess. She’s here, and Zuri’s here, and she has no idea  _ why  _ but she can’t make herself ask. It’s too good to question. 

“Awww, you’re still such a crybaby - we weren’t gone that long, were we?” Zuri hugs her close despite the teasing, laughing when Jinx smacks her shoulder. 

“It’s been a  _ whole ass year,  _ you jerk!” She laughs, gently headbutting the octoling’s chin. “What are you doing here?? How did you find the outpost? How did you-- no, you know what, it doesn’t matter, I  _ missed you _ , you need to meet my friends, I-- Are you staying?” It all comes out in a rush, on a single breath.

Zuri’s laugh is like music to her ears. She never knew she could miss a laugh so much. “Okay, okay, cool your jets - we’ll explain everything!” 

“...We?” Jinx scrubs at her eyes with the heel of her hand, glancing around and craning her neck to try and see over Zuri’s shoulder. 

“Oh, yeah, hang on-- Hey Rika!” The octo calls, glancing back toward the kettle - which has already started shaking again. Oozing ink as pink as cotton candy. “I found her!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3


End file.
